


The Borealis

by JennaSW



Series: The Borealis [1]
Category: Frozen (2013)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Greek Mythology, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Norse Religion & Lore, BDSM, Drama, F/F, Multi, Organized Crime, Polyamory, Pseudo-Incest, Romance, Supernatural Elements, Trans Female Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-01
Updated: 2018-06-25
Packaged: 2019-03-25 12:20:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 46,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13834164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JennaSW/pseuds/JennaSW
Summary: Elsa is a mafia enforcer who, on her 21st birthday becomes the owner of mysterious icy powers from an ancient Greek god. Soon, Elsa and Anna find themselves embroiled in a world of Greek gods, crime, murder, and polyamory, as a fiery force from Boreas's past continues to hunt them down. Inspired by The Darkness.





	1. A Perfect Day

I adjust my tie as I walk into the club. The dry cleaning bill is going to be absurd, as much blood as they are going to have to get out, but fortunately my adoptive father will be the one paying it. It is just like him to give me a job on my birthday. If I hurry I can still make it in time for dinner with Anna. I count the guards as I make my approach to the bar. There are ten visible in this room, and I'd counted another five outside. That makes the odds good that there are at least thirty total here, and there are certainly a few more people carrying concealed that aren't on the payroll. Nothing I can't handle.

"Elsa?" my target asks. "Haven't seen you in a while, still running tricks for your old man?"

"Running tricks?" I quirk an eyebrow at the older man. "You make me sound like a hooker."

He laughs, but does nothing to retract his statement. I am going to enjoy this. "Who're you here to intimidate tonight? I haven't seen anyone new in the club, so I'm guessing it's one of the usuals. Try not to cause a scene, all right, I can't afford the kind of damage you do."

"You won't have to worry about it," I reply, prompting a confused look from the man. "You shouldn't have sold him out, Johnny," I sigh as I fire two rounds into his gut, the suppressor masking the sound under the booming bass of the music.

He stares up at me from his new spot on the floor, his mouth trying to form words. At a crescendo in the music, another shot to the head ensures his continued silence. There is no one else shooting. That had gone better than I'd dared to hope.

As I walk away from the newly deceased man, I hear a woman scream. I just needed a few more seconds. Dammit. The entire club panics, the music and lights adding to the cacophony as bodies swarm everywhere. I follow the flow of the crowd towards the exit. No one seems to be quite sure what had happened. Good.

I manage to make it outside and begin to head to my car when I feel a sharp pain in my shoulder as I suddenly tumble to the ground. Another burst of pain occurs in my left knee as three men approach my prone form. My other shoulder spasms and I see a pool of blood enter my limited field of vision. I can't even feel the pain at this point. That is not a good sign.

"Elsa Arlotti," a voice sounds from far away. I attempt to stir in response, but can't manage even an inch. Shit, I am really dying, aren't I?

"You killed my newest hire. I know, business is business. I understand, but I need to send your father a message."

His tone makes it abundantly clear that the message was my head. Frank Corsetti is a headhunter, in the very literal sense. He employs people who have made a name for themselves in organized crime, recruiting them from their own family, and uses their skills and information to manage a meteoric rise that had put him at the top of every hit-list. He also liked cutting off people's heads. This information swam through my adrenaline filled brain as recognition finally formed. Now that I know what's happening, it would be fantastic if I could move.

My other knee twitches. It having been caused by my efforts to rise seems unlikely, that was almost certainly the fourth bullet in me. I feel cold. More than just the chill that comes with bleeding to death. It's like ice had formed in my heart and is slowly pumping out to the wounds. Like my body is being remade from my newly frozen core.

"The fuck?" Another voice cries from above me. I hear the sound of metal tearing. They sure are taking their sweet time to kill me.

"What the hell?" Frank asks. I hear him take a few paces back. It will be hard to cut my head off from that far away. What is he planning?

A sharp crack rings out above me. It sounds almost like another gun shot. I sit up, and find that I am now able to do so. I can move again! The man closest to me is holding half of a pistol with shards of ice stabbing out in every direction from the split open chamber.

"What are you?" he asks, backing away.

The man next to him points his gun at me and pulls the trigger. It explodes like the gun from an old cartoon after a rabbit places a carrot in the muzzle. Frost had coated the barrel and jammed it. 'What the hell' was right. What is happening? It doesn't even feel cold anymore, which is saying something given that it's late December in New York. I feel strangely comfortable, while everyone around me is shivering. I reach for my gun, but it must have been stripped from me while I was on the ground, as my hand comes up empty.

I stand and look down at my knees. The wounds seem to have been sealed shut with a layer of ice that moves like it's my own skin. I flex my new joints and find that they are perfectly responsive. Another shot rings out as Corsetti fires on me. Apparently his gun hadn't frozen over like the other two. The bullet shatters against an icy casing on my chest. We both stare at it in shock. Anna had always said that my tits were magic.

That is my Beretta in his hand! The jerk had shot me with my own gun. That's just rude. I take a step toward him and the fucker actually pisses his pants. I take another step and he turns to run away. I chase after him.

The two of us run through the streets of New York, knocking frightened pedestrians aside. He hits an intersection just as the light changes and hesitates for a moment. I am on him in an instant. His neck snaps easily under my grip and I retrieve my pistol from his slack form.

I dash into a nearby restaurant to avoid the crowd that is forming around his body, and dart into the restroom. In the mirror, I study my appearance. The ice is gone, if it had ever really been there. My suit is torn with four bullet holes in it, and it is covered in blood. Through the holes, my skin is visible and unbroken. This doesn't make any sense. Did all of that really happen? I must be going insane.

I pull my phone from my jacket pocket. It had escaped the incident with only a slight crack on the screen from my fall. It's seven o'clock. I still have time to make it to dinner, though I will definitely want to change first.

I wash up the best I can and then duck out through the kitchens and wind my way back to my car. I check under the hood to make sure that none of Corsetti's men have left any surprises for me and then I climb into the Mercedes and start the engine. I drive home first to change into a clean suit and then leave for the restaurant.

~o~

I arrive at the restaurant at ten minutes to eight. Perfect timing. I check in with the hostess and our table hasn't been seated yet. I tell her I'll wait for my date.

A few minutes later, a beautiful redhead in a teal dress rushes in through the door. "Elsa?" she gasps. "I'm not late am I?"

"You're right on time," I smile. She kisses me. I kiss back, pulling her into my arms.

"Happy birthday," she sighs breathlessly when our lips part.

Once we are seated, Anna hands over a small bag tied shut with a bow. I stare at it for a moment as I take it from my girlfriend. It has my name written on a tag in an elaborate calligraphy. I untie the ribbon and extract an ornate blue bracelet from the bag. "Do you like it?" she asks nervously. It isn't exactly my style, but it is beautiful. "It matches your eyes."

I promptly put it on my wrist. "I love it." A smile lights up her face. I love this woman so incredibly much, she's more than I could ever deserve, and I will do anything to make her smile like that. Even wear jewelry.

"I'm glad. I saw it a few weeks ago and immediately thought it would look so beautiful on you. I was worried you wouldn't like it, I know you're not too big on jewelry. Or really any of that girly stuff." She looks me up and down in my fitted grey suit.

"It's from you. That makes it perfect."

Just then our waitress arrives. "Good evening," she chirps in an annoying sing-song voice. "My name's Snow. Yes it's really my name, my parents were hippies. Is there a special occasion bringing you here tonight?"

I shake my head, but Anna eagerly informs her that it is my birthday.

"Oh, really? That's wonderful! Happy birthday. Is this your sister?" she asks me.

Well, technically yes, but I'm certainly not going to say that. My face must have alternated between half a dozen emotions in response to that question, but in the end both Anna and I start laughing. "I'm her girlfriend," Anna informs her between bursts of giggles.

Snow lights up a bright crimson. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry. I had no idea. I feel awful. I'll go make sure the kitchen knows you'll want a free birthday cake," she insists, dashing off.

"We still need to order our drinks," I call after her. Why do waitresses love to ask that question? Has the answer ever been yes?

"She'll be back," Anna insists, her laughter finally dying down.

I study the menu. The parmesan crusted chicken breast does sound quite good. I could feel Anna staring at me so I study the menu all the harder. I do really like their prime rib, but I'm not sure I feel like that today.

"Why does it always bother you so much?" Anna asked.

I set the menu down and sigh. "It's just weird," I state flatly.

"People have thought we were sisters since we were kids. We were best friends from the time we were five, it only makes sense," she said, in her comforting-Elsa voice. "And we have been for the last eight years."

"Don't say that," I grumble, looking around for anyone who could overhear. "And we weren't dating when we were kids, it was different."

"Really?" she gasps. "You could have fooled me. I recall you proposing to me when we were six."

I am glad that we don't yet have our drinks, as that would have resulted in me spitting mine everywhere. I settle for only rolling my eyes at her.

"I said yes, didn't I?" she teases.

I blink and gape at her. I've been working up the nerve to ask her that same question for the last month. "Wait, are you saying we're already engaged?"

She blinks back. She had apparently not considered her own words. "Well, I," she hesitates. "I guess we are? I mean, I don't have a ring. I ate the last one you gave me."

I check my jacket pocket. The ring is in there. I had remembered to grab it before I left home. This is basically the perfect chance to ask her.

Our waiter returns. "I'm so sorry," Snow says again. "I forgot to get your drink orders. Are you ready to order now or just the drinks?"

I order the chicken breast with mashed potatoes and green beans. Anna orders the prime rib. I am probably going to have to steal a bite of that. By the time she retreats, I have lost the nerve and the ring stays in my pocket.

"How was work?" Anna asked, once Snow has left.

I consider the bullets that are possibly still in my body. How could I possibly explain what had happened? "More or less the usual," I say, hedging my bets. "I was doing a job for our father, things got messy, but I'm fine."

"Define messy?" she growls.

This is why I hate telling her about my day. "Nothing I couldn't handle, I'm fine, I promise. And when I talk to Dad I'm likely to be getting a nice bonus for taking out Frank Corsetti. I'll spend it all on you, I promise."

She glares at me. "I wish you wouldn't do this kind of work for him. You know I worry about you. What if you'd been killed?"

I think I was. "Then you'd personally walk down to Hell and drag me back up here for abandoning you," I reply with a sly smile.

It does nothing to lessen her glare. "Damn right, I would. I just don't want this life for you, for us. I don't exactly risk my life like you do, but can't we just go build our own life somewhere else? We don't need to be criminals forever."

This would be an ideal time to propose. All I would need to do is take the ring out of my pocket, I know she would say yes. The ring doesn't move. "We owe him for taking us in, Anna. I'm not just abandoning the only family I've ever known. Besides, I'm really good at my job." I add with a cocky grin.

She sighs and shakes her head. Snow arrives with our drinks and Anna quickly drains her glass of wine and asks for another. I sip at my Jack and Coke while the waitress giggles and promises to be right back with another drink for Anna. Maybe we will drop the subject and just enjoy our date. It is my birthday after all, can't I at least be spared lectures on this one day? I have no such luck.

"Promise me that if it ever gets to be too much for you then we can leave? Papa be damned, all we need is each other," she insists, her gaze never leaving mine.

"Anna, if it gets to be too much, then I'm pretty sure I'll be dead or in prison."

"Then just before then!"

"Fine, I promise, we can live out our days as fugitives if it ever comes to it. Okay?"

The glare returns. I smile back affably. She allows a slight snicker and reaches to take a sip of her wine only to find it still empty. "I'm sorry. It's your birthday, we shouldn't be focusing on this. Let's just relax and have a good time."

I smile back at her. That sounds pretty reasonable. "All right, then let's get drunk," I laugh.

"No, I don't want you passing out when we get into bed. I was hoping to have a good bit more fun tonight. I have to please the birthday girl, don't I?" she winks at me. It is utterly adorable.

"All right, I'll try to lay off the Jack then." I take another sip to prove my point and end up with nothing but ice cubes in my mouth. I glance at the drink, which is still mostly full, and try to wrap my mind around the physics of this.

Our food arrives, and I look longingly at the prime rib on my partner's plate. My chicken looks good too, but I am seriously regretting deviating from my normal order.

Anna giggles when she notices me eyeing her plate. "Would you like a bite?" she offers charitably.

I nod enthusiastically. She cuts off a corner piece and feeds it to me. "Mmm," I inform her.

She helps herself to a bite and has a similar reaction.

"Would you like some of my chicken?" I ask, extending my fork to her. She bites it off the fork and immediately starts fanning her mouth.

"It's still hot," she whines.

Never one for smart decisions, I take a bite myself. I stare at her in confusion. It's frozen solid. I poke the chicken with a finger to see if maybe that one piece was just oddly cooked, but when I do so I find it hard as a rock. "It really isn't," I laugh.

"What do you mean?" Anna asks, looking up from her now almost half devoured slab of beef.

I hand the plate over to her. "It's still frozen."

She pokes it with her knife. It doesn't sink in. She follows up with a finger and finds that I'm right. "But the cheese is melted! And that bite was really hot! That doesn't make any sense."

I flag down Snow as she walks past. "Miss, my chicken is still frozen."

She stares at it, studying it carefully. "How?" She asks quietly. "Our chicken doesn't even come frozen. It's all fresh."

"Could I get it replaced?" I ask, lacking an answer to her question.

She nods, still studying the food, as she takes my plate back to the kitchen. Anna looks awkwardly between me and her food. "Would you like some more?" she offers reluctantly after a moment's consideration.

I help myself to a little of her food while we wait. Once it's brought out, the new chicken breast is an adequate temperature and we finish our meal before we head home.

The instant we enter our apartment, Anna pushes me up against the wall and begins kissing my neck. I find my jacket on the ground as she tugs at my collar, exposing more of my neck. That is so going to wrinkle the poor jacket. Another kiss sheds the thought from my mind. She's worked her way through half the buttons on my shirt as her lips meet my clavicle. A low moan emanates from my throat and I unzip her dress, causing it to fall to the floor.

She runs her hands down my back as she pulls me to her. "You're so cold," she remarks, without slowing in her ministrations. I don't feel cold, I feel very warm, particularly in rather vital areas.

We manage to make our way to the bedroom, shedding our remaining clothes in the process. Anna promptly tackles me onto the bed. "Hey there," I laugh, looking up into my girlfriend's beautiful teal eyes.

"Now time for your real birthday present," she giggles. Her kisses resume at my collar bone. I whimper slightly as her lips pass one of my peaks, prompting a mischievous grin from the redhead. I yelp in response to a sharp nip. She laughs again and continues kissing downward.

By the time she reaches my thighs, I'm nothing but putty in her hands. Well, her mouth. Her lips move up a few inches and place a tender kiss upon my own. I writhe in response. I feel a low rumble vibrating out from her throat as her tongue explores my core. My legs wrap around her as I try to pull her ever closer, as she laps hungrily at my sex.

Her mouth latches onto my hood as she gently sucks. I can feel myself getting closer and I writhe against her unthinkingly. I'm so heated it feels like the room is frozen solid. When I'm a mere inch from completion, she suddenly stops and puts a hand to her head. "Please, Anna, please don't stop." My legs twitch, shoving her face back towards my core.

She doesn't resume. She winces at me apologetically. "My head is killing me," she sighs. "It feels like I just ate too much ice cream."

I notice that my hand has taken the place of her mouth without my having intended it to. I'm too close to consider her words. She allows a pained but satisfied smile onto her face as I look longingly into her eyes as I climax. "I love you," I murmur.

"I love you too, Els," she replies softly, pulling me into her arms. "Sorry about that. My head is just really killing me. I'm gonna grab some ibuprofen."

"Sure you don't want a turn?" I laugh. "Nothing cures a headache better."

She kisses the top of my head. "It's a really bad one, I just want to eat a handful of pills and cuddle up and go to sleep."

I sigh, it's hardly how I wanted my birthday to end, but I can hardly complain about any night that ends in bed with her. "All right, you wait here, I'll go grab you some water and ibuprofen."

~o~

A few hours later, I awake to hear someone moving in our living room. I grab a gun from my nightstand and head out to investigate. What kind of an idiot breaks into a mobster's home? I encounter a man in a hooded dark blue robe searching through some junk mail that was sitting on the coffee table. Who invited The Grand Poobah?

He turns toward me as I approach. Good ears, I'm generally pretty good at remaining unheard. "Who the hell are you?" he asks.

I blink and take a moment to compose myself before I gesture with my gun in his general direction. "I'm pretty sure that's supposed to be my line."

"But you're supposed to be him!" he screams.

Great, he's going to wake up Anna, then I'm going to have to kill him, and then she'll bitch at me for getting blood all over our nice furniture. "How about we keep it down, my girlfriend's trying to sleep. Now explain very calmly what you're doing here and why I shouldn't kill you right this second?"

He rifles through the letters again. "Are you Anna?" he asks, reading the name from a piece of mail.

"I'm Elsa," I answer. Wait, why the hell am I telling him my name?

"There's not a man who lives here?" he asks, almost sheepishly. This is the most pitiful robbery I've ever been witness to, and I've been there for more than a handful.

"'Fraid it's just us dykes." I gesture with my pistol again. "Now how about instead of acting like an asshole, you answer my questions before I have to dry clean the curtains behind you?"

"But I know the power was here. We felt it, we heard its call. It was right here," he mutters, more to himself than to me.

"All right, buddy," I sigh. "Let's get you back to your padded cell. Are you off your meds?" I take a step towards him with my gun aimed at the ground. He doesn't so much as flinch. That's never a good sign. Even crazy people tend to react when someone approaches them holding a weapon.

"I can't go back empty handed. I know he's been here!" his voice is rising again. I'm going to have to snap his neck if I want to both avoid waking Anna and ruining our apartment. I take another few steps toward him and his eyes lock onto mine. "It can't be you," he growls.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," I reply honestly. "Now shut up or I'm going to continue putting bullets in you until you shut up." Regular crisis negotiator, me.

"Who was your father?"

I stop in my tracks. What the hell kind of break-in is this? "No idea. What's it to you?" I retort. The bastard gave me up before I was old enough to crawl. Of course, I suppose that makes me the actual bastard.

"How can you be a girl?" he asked, confusion clear on his face.

Can't say I didn't warn him. I raise my gun until it's aimed just between his eyes and tense my finger on the trigger. "I've had enough of you." I begin to squeeze and feel a blow to the back of my head. The last thing I hear is the sound of my gun going off as I lose consciousness.


	2. With Friends Like These

I wake up to see a withered old man staring at me, with a branding iron in one hand. I smell the scent of cooking flesh. My chest hurts. Oh, I guess that's what woke me. Ow. "You really know how to treat a lady, don't you?" I spit, surprised to find that I'm not gagged. They must want information.

"You'll heal." He sighs, casually placing the burning tip against my belly. I scream. It's at this point that I realize I'm still naked, and this interrogation starts to look a lot more like a porno.

"What are you going to do to me?" I ask, spitting out blood. I must have bitten my tongue.

"We have a few questions for you, but the most important one is simply –" he sears me again to make sure he has my attention, "How do you exist?"

"Well when a man gets really drunk and sees some girl, then he gets her really drunk too, and sometimes they end up having about five seconds of intercourse, and if they're really unlucky, then nine months later a baby plops out. Don't you have the internet? You don't need to kidnap some girl to learn the birds and the bees."

He brands my neck. It hurts a lot and I scream bloody murder. "Perhaps I haven't made myself clear. You shouldn't exist. You are an anomaly. You bring every teaching of our order into question, and that simply can't be. So I'll ask you once more, how is it possible for you to be... this." He gestures towards my nude form.

"All right, buddy, clearly none of you have taken your meds of late, so I'll try to be understanding, but I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about." I attempt to move my arms only to find that they're chained to the ceiling. My legs are killing me. I don't even have enough slack to sit down. And I thought the branding was torture.

"You're the new holder of the power. We sensed it coming from your apartment, and while you were unconscious I verified that it was coming from you," he explained, his two different colored eyes settling on my blue ones. How are they both so ugly? Who even has ugly eyes?

"The power? What is this, a cult?" I look around, seeing macabre relics, an altar, and the hooded guises of the few men I can see. "Oh, so it is."

"The Borealis. You are the next incarnation of Boreas," he explained, gaining the speaking voice of the preacher I'd had to kill when I was sixteen.

My eyes glaze over. "Oh, great, so I'm your god or something? It would be just fantastic if you could untie me and kill yourselves." His eyes harden on me. The branding iron meets my thigh. Son of a bitch! "Fucking fuckheaded fucker!" I yell. I am so eloquent when I'm being cooked alive.

"Yes, you are. However we can't let you down until we find out how this could be. The Borealis must always be a man. It's passed down from father to son. A woman Borealis isn't possible."

I spit in his grey eye. Holy fuck he just scorched my nipple. Ow. Ow. Not fair. "Okay, fuck, I'll answer the damn question."

He pulls a chair that looks to be made of bone up to me and sits in it, propping his chin on his hand. "This should be quite the story, do tell."

I glare at him. What I wouldn't give for a chair right now. "How about you let me down first and then I tell you?"

"No." He doesn't move, his eyes remain fixed on me, waiting to hear my tale.

Fuck, I hate coming out to people. Especially people who are actively torturing me. It's just not a safe environment. Oh well, not like my situation can get any worse. "If I tell you, then you'll let me down?"

He considers it for a moment. "It would have to be a very good answer."

"I'd feel a lot more comfortable having some assurances, maybe some alcohol to go with it. No point giving away the information you want if I don't know that it will at least get me down from here." I try to keep my voice as nonchalant as it can be, but it is difficult when my skin is still steaming.

The brand is on me in an instant. I don't even see him move. Oh my God, and I thought the nipple hurt. Tears form in my eyes and turn to ice before they hit the ground. I don't even scream this time, my mouth only moves soundlessly. I'd crumple to the floor if there was any slack.

His hand moves back to his chin, the iron dangling threateningly from his grasp. The tears continue to fall, shattering on the ground with such rapidity that it sounds like a hail storm at my feet. My mouth finally manages to make a sound. It's not a word, but it's a step up from where I had been a minute ago.

"The answer. Now," he barks.

I take in a shuddering breath. "I still don't know what you're talking about, but I was supposed to be a man. I mean I was assigned it. I was born –" I spit out the blood that had accumulated in my mouth. I then feel my tongue against my teeth to make sure it's all still there. "I'm trans. So if I was supposed to be born a guy as part of some magic thing, I guess I was. Thanks for that, really screwed me over there."

He stares at my core. "But you don't have a –" he hesitates. Apparently branding genitals is all well and good, but actually saying their names is too much for him. I'm glad there's a line he won't cross.

"There's a surgery for that," I answer quickly.

"Hm," he ponders my words. "That does explain a few things."

"So, let me down?" I ask hopefully. Hopefully he will also stop torturing me, but one thing at a time.

"In a moment. I'm sure you have some questions of your own."

"Yes. Would you let me down?"

He sighs theatrically at my insistence. "Very well. Arthur, release her, and put a kettle on. This is going to be a long night."

Once they unchain me, I stretch and massage my legs, trying to ease the cramps out of them. I really want to kill these assholes, but I suppose that can wait until after I find out what the hell they want. No one gets away with branding me. I look down to see how much damage they did, and find that all of the wounds have healed. My flesh had been red and peeled, I had looked and smelled like cooked meat, how am I completely fine?

One of the men in blue hoods (I see about ten of them here now that I can look around) bring me a chair so that I can sit across from the dick who was melting my skin off. Normally I would just choose to stand, but I'm not sure my legs would support me for long enough. I take my seat and glare into his mismatched eyes.

"I believe it was Elsa Arlotti?" he asks me, quizzically raising an eyebrow.

We're both brought a cup of tea, and he sips at his while he waits for my response. I only nod.

"My name is Timotheos, I have served your line for generations." He inclines his head in a slight bow.

"Doing a bang-up job of it too. Thank you, you have no idea how badly I wanted to be kidnapped and tortured. It's my favorite thing. Anna says it's bad for me, but I just can't resist. I mean that feeling when your skin is literally being cooked off of you, it's to die for," I explain calmly.

"Well you won't be doing that," he chuckles.

"I think I just did, or have you already forgotten?"

"Not the torture, that may happen again." He smirks. I really want to shoot him in his stupid face. "You won't be dying. Ever."

"Well that sure takes a load off my mind. I'm glad we had this talk." I would get up to leave if I could feel my legs.

"As I said earlier, though I suppose you may have been a tad distracted, you are the human incarnation of the god Boreas. As such you are gifted with certain abilities." He brings the cup back to his lips, those hateful eyes never leaving my own.

"Abilities like what? I can turn into a swan and seduce random maidens?"

"You're thinking of Zeus. Boreas is far greater still. You must have noticed your abilities by now. Your wounds have been healing, things freeze simply from being around you. Of course, the men who've had this power were all smart enough to figure it out a good deal more quickly than you seem to be."

I grit my teeth, glaring daggers at him. "So you're saying that was real? I wasn't just imagining things. Those dickbags earlier really killed me? And I just healed? I can't die?"

"Barring some rather extreme measures, the only way for a Borealis to die is by impregnating a woman. You seem to have effectively eliminated that possibility." His gaze travels down to that sensitive spot he so recently seared.

"Eyes up here, buddy," I scoff, resisting the urge to ask for one of their ridiculous monk robes. "Why is all of this just happening now? I've been shot before, I spent a few weeks in the hospital recovering from the wounds. Pops sent me some nice flowers and a strippergram, best vacation I've ever had. Why didn't this power fix me up then too?"

"A carrier of the Borealis only gains access to their abilities on their twenty-first birthday. Until then, they can be killed just like any other human. It's the only time the bloodline can be wiped from the Earth. Normally we would protect the child, but unfortunately, your father was almost as much of a rebel as you are, and we lost track of him. I'm glad we were able to find you now."

"So you're such useless pricks that you couldn't manage to find me as a baby, and now that I'm immortal you want to protect me? Or did you kidnap me just so you could give me this annoying little history lesson?"

"I believe it is imperative that you learn who you are, but more importantly, we need to teach you what to do with this power. We won't allow you to simply run rampant without our oversight."

Both cups of tea shatter into shards of ice as a wolfish grin flashes across my face. "Weren't you just saying I was your god? I wasn't listening too closely but I recall something about that. You would dare try to control me? Seems awfully sacrilegious."

"Who said anything about control?" He offers an obsequious smile as he raises his hands to me. "I simply want to offer you guidance, to help you understand what you could and should do."

"What I can do is make ice, right? Makes me great for parties, but what else can I do with it?"

"Anything. You're a god." His expression relaxes, and he settles into his seat, before reaching for a teacup that's no longer there.

I wave my hand and a shard of ice buries itself between his eyes. I like this new trick. I try it again, and another spike hurtles into the shocked face of one of my other worshipers – Arthur, I believe his name was. I turn to the remaining eight men, who have all stopped in the middle of whatever they were doing to silently stare at me, awaiting their eminent demise. Who am I to deny them what they're waiting for?

I take a step and the floor freezes over, encasing all of their feet in ice, pinning them to the floor. An ice-blue blade appears in my hand as I approach the nearest of my victims. I test the weight of the sword. It's exactly as I imagined it would be. I wonder just how far this power goes? Could I make a gun? Could I create something with a will of its own? I'll have to try this all out, but first – his head falls from his shoulders. The remaining seven whimper and plead desperately. I have no mercy left for the people who kidnapped and tortured me. They all deserve to die.

~o~

A few hours later I stand outside our apartment in a bloody blue robe, as Anna pays for my taxi. Anna's eyes are red and puffy, as if she's been crying the entire time I've been missing. She pulls me to her in a tight embrace. I hug back, breathing in the familiar scent. "Are you okay?" she asks.

I consider lying. It would be so much easier, but I just can't bring myself to do that to her. "I'll explain everything, the best that I can, when we're inside."

I take a shaky breath, and follow her into our apartment building. Once we're up in our penthouse, she turns to me, and for the first time her eyes fall on my strange and bloodied apparel. "What the hell are you wearing? Did you run off and join a cult?"

"No, I just, may have been –" Christ this is embarrassing, "kidnapped by one."

Anna stares at me and bursts out laughing. "All this time I'd been so worried about you, and you let a bunch of crazy people kidnap you? I thought maybe it was the Marcone family, and it was just a bunch of religious whackjobs? I hope you killed them all."

"Of course, whose blood do you think is on this robe?" I take off the dreadful thing and start to head toward the shower when she stops me, her expression serious.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

I swallow. I'm not sure I'll ever be okay again. "I don't know. Let me go wash the blood out of my hair, then I'll tell you the whole story, all right?"

She nods and lets me past.

Once the viscera is cleaned from my body, I return to my girlfriend, clad in a bathrobe, and sit across from her in our living room. She pours us both a large glass of whiskey. I wonder if I can still get drunk. Shouldn't whatever lets me heal prevent that? Can I make an alcohol that would get me drunk? If it has to be ice based, then perhaps a nice chilled vodka?

"Elsa, what happened? I've been calling everywhere. Every single connection I had. None of them had any idea where you were. After that gunshot woke me up, when I didn't see you anywhere, I didn't let myself believe it, but I was so scared that you were dead - that you were just buried in a ditch somewhere. There was no blood and your gun was on the floor, so I knew that wasn't likely, but I was still scared." She takes a large swig of her whiskey to demonstrate her fear. I hate worrying her. I'll try to avoid letting anyone kidnap me in the future. I wonder if I could create some sort of creature that could guard the place while I sleep.

"It's a very complicated story. I'm not entirely sure where to start." I swirl the drink around my own glass, staring into it, wishing that it had her answers.

"How about at the beginning?"

"The beginning sounds like it may be the beginning of time, and I don't have all the details, so that would be a long and broken story. How about I start with yesterday?"

"Okay," she sighs, confusion clear on her face as she stares at me over the rim of her glass.

"After that job yesterday, things didn't exactly go well. Frank Corsetti got the drop on me, with a few other guys."

"The headhunter?" She stares at me incredulously, as if that twit was more famous than I am.

"That would be the guy." I hesitate, wishing that I didn't have to tell this part. I down my whiskey before continuing. "I think they killed me."

"Elsa, that's ridiculous. You're standing right in front of me."

"Apparently, yesterday I gained super powers. I used them to kill the assholes that jumped me. I snapped Corsetti's neck with my bare hands after my knees and shoulders healed their bullet holes and my chest stopped a bullet." I stare at her, trying to will the words into her brain – for her not to doubt me.

"What are you talking about? What super powers? Elsa, this is ridiculous." She looks as if she's about to rise, but she instead pours herself some more whiskey. She doesn't offer me any. She must think I'm already drunk.

A rose of ice appears in my hand. I stand from my seat and walk the few steps over to her, offering her the flower.

"What is this?" She takes it from me, staring at it, her eyes wide.

"I told you. I have super powers. Apparently I'm the reincarnation of some god or something. Boreas I think they said." I shift uncomfortably before her, not quite willing to return to the other chair.

She only blinks and continues to study the rose.

"Anna –"

"Let me process all of this for a moment! It's not every day my girlfriend comes home after being kidnapped by a cult and tells me she's a god. Are you sure they didn't brainwash you? Well I guess you wouldn't have super powers then. Why did they kidnap you? Are you _their_ god? Are you their devil? I mean, who would kidnap their god? What did they do to you? Do I need to bring them back from Hell (or would it be Tartarus?) and kill them again? Since you're a god can you bring people back? Can you die? Why aren't you a goddess?" Realization strikes her. "Oh, shit. I'm sorry. Wow. So you're some god made human, and that's why you had to get stuck being born like that? I'm so sorry, honey."

"That's why they kidnapped me. They wanted to know how I could be – well, me." I sit down on the arm rest of her chair. I need to be close to her. This is all too much.

"Wow, kidnapping you and making you out yourself, murdering them seems too easy. I hope they suffered." She puts an arm on my knee and stares up at me. I feel myself finally relax. Ironic. She can make an immortal feel safe.

"Not enough. I let them off too easy. I should have tortured them as badly as they tortured me." Well, the cat's out of the bag now. I hadn't decided if I was going to tell her that part yet.

I swear her eyes actually caught fire. "They tortured you?" She's squeezing my leg so tight my flesh feels like it's being seared anew. "So how realistic was my bringing them back to life and killing them again idea?"

"No idea, I'm still trying to get a handle on what all I can do. I didn't exactly give them time to teach me."

"Elsa, what did they do to you?" she growls, not satisfied with my answer.

"This fucker – theo-something-or-other – he had a branding iron."

She pulls the bathrobe open, searching my body for any marks. "I don't see any brands. Did you not give him the chance to use it on you?"

I hold back tears, but can't keep my voice from breaking. "No. He used it. A lot. I heal now. Just like I did yesterday when I was shot."

She continues to stare at my body. "Where did he brand you?"

"Everywhere," I sigh, looking away from her.

Anna's eyes meet mine with a heated gaze. "Would you like me to kiss it and make it better?"


	3. Sibling Rivalry

My phone ringing on the nightstand rouses me from a deep sleep. Anna's arm is wrapped around me while she drools into my pillow. I sit up and retrieve the offending device, and head to the living room. Hey, at least there wasn't a creepy robed guy going through my mail this time. Things are really looking up today. "Hey, boss," I answer, catching it just before it goes to voice mail.

"Elsa," my father drawls. He hates it when I call him boss. It's why I do it. "Is that any way to talk to your father?"

"If he's also my boss, I'm gonna go with yeah, seems pretty fair." I pull my phone away from my face to check the time. 3:30? For fuck's sake, dad! "There a reason you're waking me up so early?"

"I never heard from you after your job the other day. I've been calling you nonstop. I thought maybe you were dead! Don't worry me like that."

Well, I was dead and then I was kidnapped, so at least your fears were justified? "I'm fine. Sorry, pops, I've barely had a reason to wear clothes the last couple days. Anna wanted to properly wish me a happy birthday, and I think we got a little carried away."

I hear him take in a sharp breath. He never explicitly disapproved of our relationship, but it was clear that it irked him. Is it the gay thing or that he adopted us both? Never had the nerve to ask. I'm a god now, I really don't have a reason to be afraid of him, I should ask what his issue is.

Maybe some other time.

He finally speaks. "I'm glad you're okay. Maybe bother to check your phone next time. The job go all right?"

I smile. I had forgotten to brag to him about my extra score. "The job went fine, except that I caught the attention of The Headhunter."

I can practically hear his mouth hit the floor. "Corsetti? Are you all right?"

Just possibly have four bullets lodged in me, nothing to worry about. Or were they pushed out with ice? How does that even work? I should find out sometime. "I wanted to say something all cool about taking his head, but I just snapped his neck. Yeah, I'm fine."

"You took out The Headhunter? How much am I paying you, because it's clearly not enough." He chuckled; the clinking of ice against the edge of a glass was faintly audible.

"Yeah I'd say I earned a raise there. So we good? Can I go back to sleep?"

"Of course, I just wanted to make sure you were all right. I do have another job for you if you don't think your festivities wore you out? You can do it after you wake up."

I collapse on the couch. This might take a while. "Sure, boss, what do you need?"

"This will be a pretty big job, even for you. You might want to take some men with you."

I can just make my own. Anna seemed to enjoy that second Elsa. Still can't believe that didn't give her frostbite. "I'll be fine. Just give me a name so I can go back to sleep."

"I want you to take out Peter Morelli."

What? "Uncle Pete? What did he do? I haven't been busy for that long, there's no way anything that bad happened."

"He asked to be let go. He and his men want to be on their own, and take a chunk of my territory with them. I gave my blessing. Let them be on their own, they'll see what happens to other families in my turf."

Jesus, Pete. Zeus? Heracles? This really raises some interesting theological questions that I have not bothered to investigate yet. Whatever. For fuck's sake, Pete, what were you thinking?

"Elsa? Can you do it?" 

I sigh. I shouldn't have answered the damn phone. "Of course, dad. Consider it done."

~o~

I smell French toast. My eyes open to find my bed sadly lacking in redheads. I meander towards the kitchen, blinking away sleep. For a second I let myself believe that the conversation earlier was just a strangely uninspired dream. It wasn't, but it's a nice thought.

A plate of french toast materializes before me. I glance up to see my girlfriend smiling down at me. "Syrup or powdered sugar?"

"What're you having on yours?"

"Chocolate syrup." Her smile turned into a goofy grin.

"That sounds perfect."

She takes a seat next to me and pours chocolate syrup onto both of our plates before dipping her finger in mine and licking it off.

"You're lucky you're cute," I growl, as threateningly as I can manage while looking into the eyes of the woman I love.

"Aww, you're cute too." It turns out I am not very threatening.

I take a bite of the toast. "Pops called last night," I announce. Even the ambrosia-like mixture of French toast and chocolate is not enough to dull the pain of what I'm going to have to do. "You're not gonna like it."

"Oh no," she sighed, eating an entire slice of French toast before continuing. "Who betrayed him this time?"

"Uncle Pete."

Her eyes widen as she turns to me, her silverware dropping to her plate. "No! You can't kill Uncle Pete. He's the one that took you to –"

"You think I don't know that?!" I spit back. "I don't know where I'd be without him, but he turned on our father. We can't just let him get away with that."

"Let someone else take care of it!

"He told me to. I won't say no to him."

"You're a god, Elsa, you can do anything! Hell, you could take over the family, be the new don, and just let Pete be!" Tears mix with the chocolate at the corners of her mouth.

"Our father did everything for us. I'm not turning against him. Anyway, it'll be worse for Uncle Pete if someone else does it. I can make it quick, they won't."

"You're just making excuses now! This isn't okay, Elsa."

"I know it's not, but I'm going to do it anyway. You can't talk me out of this."

"Elsa –"

"Forget it, Anna. There isn't another option. I don't care how important Pete is to me, he's not worth throwing everything away. Think about everything we'll lose if I don't do this. He's our father, I'm not turning my back on him, and that's that," I say, rising from my chair.

"God, Elsa, you're so pigheaded." Her chair topples over as she stands, glaring up at me. "You can't do this. Not to Pete. Please."

Fighting back tears, I walk back towards our bedroom. "I have to." My appetite seems to have vanished. I wish she didn't have a point. I wish Pete didn't mean so much to me. But, my powers aren't enough to change this. What good is being a god if it doesn't protect the people I love?

~o~

I've been standing outside Peter Morelli's door for almost fifteen minutes. I know I have to do this, but I don't know if I can bring myself to. Before any conscious decision is made, I find my hand knocking on the door. The sound is faint, I doubt it even made it past the foyer.

A moment later the door swings open and I see Pete silhouetted by the light behind him. "Elsa, my girl!" He pulls me into a bear hug and it's all I can do not to hurl on him. This isn't right. 

"Hey, Uncle Pete," I choke back. He wouldn't want anyone else to do this. Just make it quick.

"It's been too long. I used to see you every week! Seems like you're always holed up with that girlfriend of yours these days. Come in. We were just fixing lunch, why don't you join us? There's plenty." Gotta love Italian families.

"I'm not really hungry." 

"I insist. Lisa made coffee cake."

I wonder if he suspects why I'm here. He hasn't bothered asking. If so, is he trying to talk me out of it, or showing that there's no hard feelings? "You know I can't say no to Aunt Lisa's coffee cakes," I sigh, following him to the dining room.

His wife is serving food to their three sons. Christ, it's the weekend isn't it? I have to get him alone, I'm not letting them see that. "Elsa!" she shouts, pulling me into another hug. "Are you joining us? I made plenty. It's lasagna." As if I hadn't been able to smell it from the front door.

Tears threaten to spill over, but I barely manage to hold them back. "Of course, Aunt Lisa. I couldn't resist."

I sit between Pete and his eldest son, wishing desperately that the floor would swallow me up. Maybe Anna had a point. Lisa shivers as she seats herself. "Pete, did you leave the door open?"

"No, I definitely shut it. Did the heater turn off?"

Nope, that'd just be me. My conscience is spilling over. Thought I'd lost that ages ago. Jesus, would you listen to me? I do this for a living, why am I acting like a whiny teenager? "Uncle Pete, would you go for a walk with me after we eat? I have some business I need to discuss with you."

Our eyes meet. Any doubt that he knows is wiped from my mind. "Of course, Elsa. Eat up, put some meat on those bones."

"How could I say no? I think Aunt Lisa's lasagna has me in its spell." I look around at the family I'm about to destroy. They've done far more for me than my father ever has. Can I really justify doing this to them? What would Anna think of me? Safe to say I'm sleeping on the couch tonight. My pistol weighs heavy in my jacket. I adjust in my seat, gazing at the heaping helping of food before me. I hope they won't go hungry without his income. I don't even taste my lasagna.

By the time we finish the meal, I've accepted my fate. I'm the gun, my father's the killer, it's not my choice, and it's not my fault. When my slice of coffee cake touches my tongue, I can savor the flavor, cinnamon and sugar with a hint of vanilla and sour cream. I doubt she'll be making any more for me so I take a few slices to go as we leave. Pete grabs his jacket at the door and follows me outside.

"So you've heard," he sighs. "I hoped it wouldn't be you. How can Vincent be so callous?"

I don't respond as he looks me up and down.

"It's a test for you, isn't it? He wants to make sure you're still loyal. What did you do to piss him off?" His hands slide into his pockets to protect them from the winter air. Or perhaps to grab a pocket piece. If shooting me will make him feel better then he's welcome to.

"I ignored his calls all day yesterday and told him I was busy fucking his other daughter." I spit on the ground trying to rid myself of the bad taste of what I'm about to do.

"That'd do it. He never took that well. A bit ridiculous isn't it?" His breath puffs out before him as he speaks. I hadn't noticed – mine doesn't do that anymore.

"We were already sort of a couple when he first adopted us. It didn't seem to bother him as much when he thought it was straight."

"No, he never took any of that stuff well." He sighs, turning his gaze towards the heavens. I wonder if he thinks he'll make it there. How would he react if I told him that I had proof of a different god altogether? "Are you sure you're okay with working for him?"

I blink, turning to him. His words take a moment to sink in. Focus on the task at hand, don't get distracted. "He's my dad."

He nods, as if that answers everything. "Let's walk, I don't want them to hear it."

"That's what I was planning." He takes the lead as we move through the city, snow picking up around us. It's December 23, so I can't be sure if that's me or just New York weather. Fuck, I didn't even think about the time of year, I'm killing their father right before Christmas. That's just mean. Fuck you, pops.

"I want you to know I don't blame you for this."

I stare at the back of his head as we walk, silent sobs racking my body. "You should."

"Elsa, if you didn't do it, someone else would. I'd far rather you be the last person I see than any of those other assholes. You're family."

I rub at my eyes, but the tears won't stop falling for long enough that I can make a difference. I wish it didn't have to be this way. "Thanks for everything. I don't know what I would have done if it wasn't for you."

"It was nothing, Elsa. You were like the daughter I never had. I'm just sorry you're going to have to live with this. I never wanted this life for you."

"It's the only life I've ever known."

"And for that I'm truly sorry."

We fall silent for the rest of the trip. Soon we end up in an alley where no one is likely to see anything. Bottles and condoms litter the ground next to a dumpster. Shitty place to die. "Any last words?" I ask.

He draws a pack of cigarettes from his inside pocket and lights one. "Just let me enjoy this. Would you like one?"

I don't even smoke. "Yeah, I could use one." He offers me the last one in the box and lights it for me as I lean forward. Drawing the smoke into my lungs, I can feel my insides melting. Weird feeling, that can't be healthy. "Thought you'd quit?"

"Hardly matters now, does it?"

Good point.

He ground out the butt with the heel of his loafer. "I'm ready. I'm not going to fight you."

I nod, tears freezing as they slide down my cheeks. I draw my nine millimeter from my jacket holster and attempt to steady it between his eyes. "I'll make it quick."

The dumpster explodes, raining garbage upon us. The worst smell I've ever known permeates my nostrils, seeping into my clothes, just before my jacket bursts into flame.

I rip it off and fling it to the ground, turning around to find a figure walking towards me – on fire. The fuck?

"Boreas," a melodious voice purrs from inside the blaze. "It's been too long. How about a kiss for your dear sibling?"

I blink and try to find words. What the hell is going on? "Who are you?" I ask after what feels like an eternity. Way to sound badass, Els. I thought you were supposed to be a mafiosa super hero god.

"Aww, you really don't know anything do you?" She sashays towards me, looking more like a model on a catwalk than any sort of threat, despite the intense heat radiating off of her.

"I thought we could only be guys," I sputter, drawing upon the meager lessons I'd received on my origin before murdering that cult. Maybe I should have stuck around a bit longer. Well, if killing that dickbag is what dooms me, I have to say it was worth it.

"That's just you, dear brother. Seems you finally met a fitting form for your misogyny. I was never all that concerned with gender myself. This body seems fine. It should more than suffice for destroying you."

"Elsa, what the hell is going on?" I forgot Uncle Pete was still here. Should I save him or kill him?

"That'll be really hard to explain and quite frankly it doesn't matter too much." I raise my gun once again to put him out of his misery only for my shirt sleeve to catch fire. Holy hell that hurts. And I thought the branding iron was bad. "What the fuck, god person?!" I turn around, my cold gaze meeting flaming orange eyes, as the fire on my sleeve is replaced with ice. "Let me kill him real quick and then we can fight."

Her lips curl into a snarl, flames escaping from her mouth. "You dare turn your back on me, brother?"

"It's sister, okay? Actually, fuck that, it's Elsa. I don't even know who you are, I'm not your sister." I turn my gun on her and hear the sound of retreating footsteps behind me. Fuck. Can't say I blame him.

"I forgot about your memory issues. I'm Notos, the Southern Wind. Dearest Boreas, does no part of you recognize me?"

"Drawing a blank. Mythology was never really my area of interest." I fire at her. Is that ironic?

The bullets disintegrate a foot away from her. "Perhaps I can remind you then." The remnants of my Armani suit burst into flames.

I emanate ice from every pore, creating the armor that I made when I first discovered my powers. "That suit cost three grand! You're going to regret that." 

"Will I?" Her mouth splits open, revealing a rictus grin of tiny bonfires. "You could never beat me, Boreas, let alone when you haven't even learned how to use your powers. Such potential, wasted."

Walls of fire appear all around me. I conjure a blizzard to put them out, but they close in, melting my armor. I wave my hand, re-solidifying the armor and surrounding myself in a glacier. Steam rises as the two forces collide.

"Oh no, what ever shall I do?" Lighting me on fire AND taunting me? She's gone too far. "Now you can't escape."

Fire rains down from above. The glacier won't last. There's only one other trick I know.

Another Elsa appears behind the slowly advancing form and shoves her hand through its chest – or so it appears. When the second me flies back in a sudden gust of wind, her arm is nothing but a melted stump.

I take advantage of the momentary distraction and send a blast of ice out, extinguishing the fire on the side of me away from the threat.

I book it.

There's no other option I can see. She's too powerful. I have to run. I charge out of the alley and across the street, ducking into a nearby shop and escaping through the back door before dashing into another alley. When I emerge on the other side, I see a motorcycle parked by the curb. A slab of ice quickly forms itself into the key and I ride off, back towards home. Towards safety and towards Anna.


	4. Making Amends

I walk through the door of our apartment only to find it empty. I pull out my phone, now with a few more cracks in the screen from the latest incident along with a partially melted phone case – that smell is horrendous – to find a text message from her.

_I'm staying at Susan's. Let me know if you didn't kill Uncle Pete and I'll come home, if you did... I don't know._

She wouldn't really – would she? We've been together practically our whole lives, there's no way she'd leave me over something like this. I call her. She picks up on the fifth ring, as my thumb hovers over the distorted red button that would theoretically have hung up the call if it could still register the touch through all the damage.

"Elsa?" she asks, after I go a few seconds without saying a word.

"I'm here. Sorry, I just didn't expect you to answer. Are you still at Sue's?"

"Why?" Her voice is cold, ironically so, given my nature.

"He's still alive. Or at least I didn't kill him, I can't say what happened to him after that." Right, Elsa, because you were not repeatedly trying to kill him even while some fiery tart was trying to roast you alive. This is definitely you doing as your girlfriend wants and not in any way you just being too scared to be alone tonight.

"I'm glad. I can't believe you were really considering that. After everything he's done for you!" Now that's the hotheaded woman I fell in love with. I'll take anything over that tone she had a minute ago. Nothing is worse than her sounding so indifferent to me.

"I know." I can't tell her the truth, but I can't lie to her either. "Will you please come home? I really need you tonight." I take off my remaining scraps of shirt as I talk, and wince in pain. I didn't know I could still feel that. As I sit in the living room recliner, another burning feeling shoots from my right shoulder blade the second my bare skin touches the fabric. I dash to the bathroom, prompting another wave of pain. I turn around before the mirror, and looking back over my shoulder, see a large burn on my right shoulder blade. She hit me.

"Elsa, are you okay? Say something."

Glad Anna still cares. "Sorry. I um... I think I may have been lit on fire." 

"What?"

"I fought someone like me. And apparently she managed to hit me as – as I ran like a fucking coward. It's not healing. Even the brands healed almost instantly. What the hell is this?"

"Someone hurt you?" Her voice sounded urgent, I could hear her saying goodbye to Susan. "I'm on my way. I'll kill the fucker. No one hurts my Elsa."

Five minutes later, she's rubbing some ointment into my burn that is theoretically helping, but I wouldn't notice for all the pain and screaming coming from me. God that fucking hurts, can I just get branded again instead? "Anna, that's enough, you've been rubbing – AH! – you've covered the burn, it's fine. Stop it."

I turn to see Anna smirking at me. Was this supposed to be payback? Can't say I don't deserve it. "Stop being such a baby."

"Would you like to have some fire god burn you alive? It's not that fun!"

Her lips meet mine in lieu of an answer. "Tell me what happened," she demands when we come up for air.

"I have no idea. This bitch, says her name is Notos, comes out of nowhere and starts hurling fire at me. She ruined my favorite suit." I indicate the tattered rags that still remained around my legs.

"The Southern Wind?"

"Yeah, I think so. How'd you know?" I wince again as she dresses my wound.

"I've been doing research on the Anemoi – the Greek wind gods – ever since I found out that I just so happened to be dating one. You might want to do the same."

I grumble. She had a point.

"Where were you? Was this after you saw Pete?"

I stammer. Fuck. "It was after. In an alley."

"Why were you in an alley after?" Her pressure on the bandage adds a definite air of interrogation to the question.

"Anna –" I begin.

"No." She silences me. "No excuses. What were you doing in that alley, Elsa. Was he only alive when you last saw him due to some technicality? You shot him so he'd bleed out when you weren't around and you wouldn't have to directly lie to me? What did you do?"

I swallow. Fuck. "I led him to an alley to kill him. He said that he was glad it was me, that he knew I'd make it quick, but that he hated that Pops was doing this to me. Then when I was about to go through with it, that Notos bitch lit me on fire."

Anna growls. "Can't say I blame her." She pivots on her heel as if to walk away from me.

"Please, wait – don't go."

"I can't believe I trusted you. You're nothing but a remorseless killer. What am I even doing with you?" I think I preferred her just pushing on my third degree burns. That hurt less. She marches out of the bathroom, heading back to our front door.

"You're one to talk!" I spit, grabbing her shoulder. "You think just because now you only do the books instead of getting your hands dirty, that you're somehow blameless? You've killed before. Hell, you'll do it again. We both owe our father too much to ever leave this life."

"I'd leave it for you!" she screams, slamming her foot down as she turns back to me with fire in her eyes. "I'd do anything for you, Elsa. You know that. Why wouldn't you do the same for me? How could you be willing to kill Uncle Pete?"

"I had to. Anyone else would have just made an example of him." I take a step towards her.

She doesn't move, her eyes set on mine. "That's just an excuse and you know it. It might help you sleep tonight, but you know full well that you weren't going to do it as a mercy, you were going to do it because you're always daddy's little soldier, doing whatever he pleases. For fuck's sake Elsa, Pete did everything for you! He's the one that got you on hormones! He talked our father into not disowning you for it, and yet it's fucking Vincent that you're loyal to. You think that scumbag deserves more from you than the only man to ever actually be a father to you?"

I freeze. Literally. Fucking ice powers acting up when I get emotional. Ice forms over my body, as a tear finds its way halfway down my face before turning to ice as well. "I don't know any other life, Anna." My voice is barely more than a whisper.

Anna's gaze softens and she touches a hand to my frosted skin. "Then let's kill him."

I blink, the ice starting to melt away. "Weren't you just telling me not to?"

"Not Pete. Let's kill Vincent. Let's kill our father and take over his organization."

Oh. Was she really serious about that earlier? It's crazy. We couldn't really – "Anna, that's insane."

"You're a god, Elsa. You can do anything. Besides, I'm sure plenty of people will side with you instead of him. You're the presumptive heir and he's an old asshole who kills anyone who even looks at him sideways. Half his men have reason to turn against him, just give them that little nudge and you'll have an army of your own."

She makes it sound so easy. "How do you propose we do this?"

"That's the easy part. He just told you to kill one of his most loyal men. We just go there and tell everyone the truth. Then when we start the coup, anyone who doesn't side with you can just have an icicle magically pierce their hearts. You can do that, right?"

I've actually never tried that one. I stare at the lamp by the couch, willing a shard of ice to rupture the bulb. A loud crack echoes throughout the living room. "Apparently I can."

"Now try it with numerous targets."

I do as she says. All of the lights in the ceiling explode, glass and ice raining down to the floor amid a shower of sparks. "This might not be quite as impossible as I'd thought."

"Elsa, how exactly would it be impossible? You're immortal."

She had a point. "All right. Let's kill our father."

A broad grin spreads across her face. "You mean it? You're really okay with this?"

"Hell no, I'm not even close to okay with this, but I can't hurt you like that again, or Uncle Pete I guess, I'm not willing to throw everything away just because Pops – Vincent told me to. But we're doing this my way, I'm not losing all of his men along with him. We'll see who will side with us, before we make a move against him."

She smirked. "I know exactly how we can go about doing that, but you're not going to like it."

I can see the gears turning behind her blue-green eyes. When she puts her mind towards something devious, she can be even more wicked than me. "What are you thinking?"

"There's one person that everyone respects, possibly even more than your father."

"No," I mouth, her reasoning sinking in. Not today. Not after everything that just happened.

"We have to go see Uncle Pete," she finishes.

"Anna, no, this is insane. I was just there to kill him, we're not going back to ask for his help."

"Why not? I'm sure he'd be happy to. He's family, and if anyone knows how awful our father can be, then it's obviously him. Who just ordered you to kill him, after all?"

I hate when she's right. I hate always. "Fine, but you're talking to him."

"Elsa don't be a baby," she chides, glaring at me.

"We'll both talk to him. But you're driving, I left my car at his place."

Anna's gaze turns quizzical. "Then how'd you get home?"

"Stole a motorcycle."

"Cool." She grins. The girl does love her bikes.

"Do you want to ride it to his place?"

"Hell yeah! We can take your car back, but it's been years since I rode a nice chopper. Last time I had an orgasm the second the engine started."

"I know, I had to clean the seat. You're wearing pants this time."

She sticks her tongue out at me. "You're no fun."

_~o~_

Anna climbs off the motorcycle, panting, her eyes hooded. "That was amazing."

"You two need a moment alone?"

"Don't be like that. It was just a fling. I promise, I'll never call it again. Your tongue is far better, especially now that it can do temperature play."

My face heats, a blush coloring my cheeks. How the hell does she always make me feel like a bashful school girl? I'm supposed to be a badass mafiosa god. Being able to fluster me is a goddamn super power. "Let's go inside."

"After you," she replies, gesturing towards the door as she finishes collecting herself.

I take a deep breath before I knock. I wonder what he's told his family. Am I even still welcome here? Why couldn't Anna have gone first?

A few seconds pass before I hear footsteps on the other side of the door, followed by the sound of the lock turning. Pete is standing before me, looking almost like he's seen a ghost. "Back to finish the job?" he asks.

Rude. Fair. But rude. "No. I'm not." Why do I let her talk me into these things? "How would you like to help us kill my father and take over the family? Anna and I'd be in charge, but you could come back as a consigliere. I'm sorry about earlier, I shouldn't have done that." Polite way to say 'sorry I held a gun to your head.'

Before I can stick my foot any further down my throat, he pulls me into a hug. "Come here, Anna, you too," he calls, and I feel her warmth next to me. When he pulls away, he looks us up and down. "Of course I'm with you, but are you sure this is what you want? I won't blame you if you decide to kill me right now. I don't know what that thing was earlier, and quite frankly I don't want to; this life is already more than enough for me without adding anything more to it."

"He's an abusive asshole who uses his power to keep everyone in line out of fear. You're far more of a father than he's ever been," Anna explains. "We're ready to do whatever we have to, but the men will follow you before they'll follow anyone else. We need you."

"And we can discuss the fire bitch after we take over the mob," I added. "One thing at a time."

He sighed. "Let's stick with what I actually know how to process. You don't need to say anything more, you have me. Let me grab my coat and we can get started. I'll make sure we have enough men on our side that there won't be any question once he's gone."


	5. Meet the New Boss

By the time we arrive at the Arlotti estate, Pete has made half a dozen calls. "From the sounds of it I think they're pretty well ready to be done with old Francis. Breaking his word to me was the last straw for a lot of them. He'd already been losing it, this just made him look weak on top of paranoid. There shouldn't be any resistance."

"So we can count on at least three dozen men waiting for us, then? Should be fun."

"Sounds like our former father isn't the only paranoid one," Anna chimed in.

"Every time I've been told there would be no guards, there were a good twenty or so men waiting for me, guns drawn. Besides, not having to fight for this would just be boring."

Anna fixes me with a disapproving glare. "Anyone you kill is one less enforcer you'll have when the dust settles."

Practicality is way less fun. "Whatever you say, boss."

The glare turns smoldering. Someone is getting spanked tonight. "Elsa," she growls.

She knows her angry voice just gets me hot. "So, are we doing this?"

"In Uncle Pete's car?" Anna places her hand to her chest, gasping. "Why Elsa, what would our father think?"

"He'll be dead soon, I don't think it'll matter."

Pete chimes in before I can climb into the backseat. "I just had the car steam cleaned, save it for after we oust him."

"Fine," we both grumble.

Pete climbs out of the car, glancing around for any sign of trouble. He is still a wanted man here after all, if word hasn't spread about the coup, someone could be lining their sights up on his head right now. If word has spread, then they could be readying a rocket launcher to take out all three of us. I wonder if I could put up a wall of ice in time?

When Anna and I join him, we continue to not be shot. This is either a good sign or a very bad one. Ice armor forms under my clothing and Anna's. She shivers audibly, but gives a quick nod in understanding. I'm not willing to let anyone hurt her, and as long as I'm careful, frostbite still shouldn't be an issue. We've tested this pretty extensively, though not with armor.

More cars begin to trickle in as our reinforcements arrive. By the tenth car we have a veritable army. I don't know why we needed them when I could just make my own, but it's at least good to know that some people will stand with us instead of siding with Pops.

The troops fan out, taking position around the compound while Anna, Pete, and I head to the boss's office. We remain unchallenged until I knock at his door. There's no way this is going to be as easy as it seems. Someone has to have ratted us out, as many people as Pete called. Why isn't someone shooting us?

I start to knock on the door and stop myself. I'm not his little girl anymore. I place my palm on the door as ice fills every crevice in it then pull back and kick it with all my might, sending shards of ice flying into the room, pelting the opposite wall.

Frank Arlotti looks up from his paper to glower at me. "That door was imported from Italy."

I'm aware. I spit on his floor, the globule splintering as it hits the floor. "Thought my office could use some refurnishing."

"Your office is it?" He finally notices the man behind me. "And I see you brought the man you were supposed to kill with you. Am I to understand that this is some sort of mutiny?"

"You could call it that." This is so boring, isn't killing your father supposed to be more cathartic than this? His brain is already encased in ice, his eyes are visibly frosting over as we watch him.

"What just happened?" Pete asks.

"The job's done."

"That was anticlimactic."

"You knew I was the best. Hell, you've even seen me use my powers before."

Anna gestures towards the chair. "You going to take your seat?"

I hesitate. I already have more than enough on my plate, and I've honestly never had any interest in power nor any skill in management. I kill, that's all I do, and my godhood only makes that easier. "It's yours."

Anna blinks.

An explosion goes off somewhere in the compound. "Though you may have to wait until we're finished here." I knew it wouldn't be quite that simple.

"Why are they still fighting?" she asks. "We already took out their leader."

Pete sighs. "They don't know that, and even if they did, for some of these idiots it would only give them more reason to fight. Frankie was a terrible boss and a worse father to you two, but plenty of people still respected him."

"And they can die or join us. I think the choice is obvious." I toss off my suit, wearing only the thick and ornate armor of ice. I'm sick of having my clothes shredded in my fights. They're not cheap, and I look a lot more intimidated covered in jagged sheets of ice with a giant blade attached to one hand and a gun in the other. "You two wait here."

"Elsa, are you serious?" Anna meets my gaze, silently pleading for me to take her with me.

"You're the boss now, hardly makes sense to put you in danger. Pete will keep an eye on you."

"I'm not worried about myself!"

"I'm immortal, I'll be fine."

"Let me go with you," Pete insists.

"This is more important. I'm fine on my own." And very glad that I made the ice thick enough to not be see through. As dramatic as my butchering those cultists while naked was, it would be so weird having him see me like that. "I'll be right back. You saw how easily I took him out, just need to do some more of that."

A wall of ice replaces the old door as I pass. Anna had always wanted to try out a cage – though I expect she wanted me to be the one inside. A bullet ricochets off of my shoulder. That was quick. "Thank you for saving me the trouble," I snarl, waving my hand in the air, sending out a javelin of ice which promptly embeds itself in the man's chest. It's good to be a god.

A handful more men round the corner, presumably having heard the gunfire, and stare in shock – whether at the javelin sticking out of their friend (I think his name was Bernard) or the woman covered in ice I can't be sure. "Elsa?" one of the men asks.

Clearly I should include a mask if I want to do the whole super hero thing. "Hey there, Vinny. There a reason you didn't join us? I know Uncle Pete called you."

"I can't just turn against your father, the man practicality raised me."

Well he raised me and I still did it. "He's already dead. You're fighting for nothing."

Vinny blinks. "He's dead?"

"That's what I said, yeah. The man was a tyrant. He ordered me to kill his most trusted lieutenant, a man who was far more of a father to me than he ever was, just because he wanted out of the family."

"You can't just leave. And he was your father, and you killed him. Clearly the word doesn't mean much to you, and neither does family. Why would we ever side with you?"

God, this jackass is slow. "You mean besides the fact that I'll kill you if you don't?"

"Yeah, besides that. You know any one of us would sooner die than serve someone like you."

The man to his right raises his arms, his gun clattering to the linoleum floor. "Hey, speak for yourself man. Ms. Arlotti, I'm with you.

"That's very sweet of you, Charles." I really hope I have his name right. "But I'm not the don. Have you met me? I'd be a terrible leader. I don't know how to delegate or lead, I just kill. Anna's the new don."

"Seriously?" Vinny asks, his gun lowering slightly. "You did all this just to give your girlfriend control over the family?"

"I'd trust her with anything, and unlike me she can actually do this. Hell, she already practically ran it for years, she did the books, she ran half the businesses, she ran most of the meetings. It always made her morality lectures seem a bit hypocritical, but can you seriously think of anyone who could do a better job?" He's gonna say my father isn't he?

"No," he admits, his gun falling from his hands. I am so glad they don't work like they do in movies. There would be bullets ricocheting everywhere from all these people surrendering.

"Glad to hear it. You know the business well, I'd much rather keep you on than impale you as an example."

"Yeah, I'd prefer that too. Bernard doesn't make it look too fun."

So that was his name! I keep my eyes on the last few guns trained on me. "I don't think it is. So, everyone surrendering? No hard feelings, you won't even be punished."

They drop their weapons. I'm honestly a little disappointed. I thought I'd get to have a fun fight.

"Great. I'm gonna finish sweeping the place. See if you can convince everyone else to lay down arms, because the next person to point a gun at me is going to lose their head."

Room after room goes by in much the same fashion. I snap my fingers and a guy's head falls off, the others quickly drop their weapons. Several know me well enough to not even risk starting a fight with me in the first place. A few others take it as a challenge – it's going to take the maids hours to clean their blood off the ceiling. No one poses a challenge. Being a god is boring.

I unseal Anna's office/cage, the helmet of my armor melting away, and walk inside, to find a very irate Anna pointing a gun at me. A bullet goes right between my eyes. Bang, bang, my baby shot me down. Or at least that's what they'd be playing at my funeral if I wasn't immortal.

Instead I glare at my girlfriend as she squeezes off another round, this one passing through my mouth. I must have opened it to berate her, but instead have the back of my skull blown open. It still hurts like fuck.

"You locked me in a room with our dead father! He shat himself, and he's been staring at me this entire time." Her finger tenses on the trigger again.

I put up my hands in surrender. "Hey, haven't you put enough holes in me for the night?"

She flings the gun at my head. Now that's just irresponsible gun ownership. "You put me in charge. You should do what I say. You do not get to lock me in a cage, Elsa." Somehow she manages to cross the room to me in an instant. She's pulling off intimidating despite having to stand on her toes to meet my eyes. "You want me to be the don, fine. Then you work for me. You're my lieutenant and if I say I'm going with you, then I'm going with you."

"Sure thing, boss." I take a step back. If you ever wondered what gods are afraid of, it's tiny redheads.

As expected, her hand meets my cheek. The distance lightens the blow a bit, but she's always been a hell of a slapper. I had a mark stay for almost a week before, though that wasn't on my face. "I was worried about you!"

"I was fine until you shot me." They're already healing, but the new hole in my head really stings. I wonder if I'm at all impaired while my brain is healing.

"It served you right." She pulls her hand back again.

I know when I'm beaten. "I'm sorry, Anna. I was just trying to keep you safe. You're not immortal, I could take all of it."

"That wasn't your call to make. You don't get to put me in charge and then undermine me in the space of a minute. You made me look weak in front of my men."

"It was just Pete," I insist. I sure hope my wounds have finished healing. I suppose if they haven't then our audience would have likely already vomited from being able to see my tongue visibly moving from the back of my head.

"And who does Pete work for, Elsa?"

Her. But I mean, come on, it's Uncle Pete. "Pete, you don't care, do you? You know I was just trying to keep her safe."

"I told her she should toss you in the furnace," he replies, finally joining the conversation.

I blink. He what? "Uncle Pete –"

"You're right, Anna's far better suited to lead than you are, and it makes sense to have you handle the front lines, but do you know whose call that was?" He places a hand on Anna's shoulder as if in answer to his own question.

"I was just trying to keep her safe," I repeat.

Anna brushes off his hand and takes a large step towards me, having to crane her neck to meet my gaze. Her finger prods the icy shell encasing my chest. "You were trying to lead and still get out of all of the responsibility that comes with it. I tried to let you be the don, but you pushed it onto me, without even seeing if I was okay with it. So if I'm the don, then you're going to act like it. You work for me. If you pull something like this again, you're out."

Her words burn. My work is my life. The only reason I'd ever be willing to leave was for her, and now she'd actually consider kicking me out and staying herself. This from the woman who found our violent profession so distasteful? I've created a monster. "I'm sorry. I'll be good."

She smirks. Maybe I'm finally off of thin ice – ice gods get to make ice puns, it's in the job description. "You better be."

Two fights with Anna in a single day. It's a world record. And I'm zero for two.

"I have a lot of paperwork to get caught up on, since he's rather dead, he can't sign anything over, and taking possession of the place is going to take all night. I'll see you at home, Elsa."

This is something she can do. I'll let her bury herself in work. Maybe by the time she's home she won't be mad at me anymore.

I only manage to make it halfway home before another crazy person attacks me. I swear, when did my life become a comic book?


	6. Seeing Stars

This big idiot jumps in front of my car, and instead of flying off like any sensible person would when hit by a ton of metal going fifty miles per hour, he just stands in place as the hood of my new Mercedes buckles around him. My head smashes into the steering wheel and over the ringing in my ears I can faintly hear the beginning of a dramatic monologue coming from the crazy man inside of my engine. Great, so it's another one of these assholes. What is he, the God of Easterly Wind and Cinder Blocks?

The door of my car is ripped off its hinges before I'm tossed out after it, the seat belt offering little resistance to the new complication in my life. I still haven't even figured out what to do about that Notos chick, and now this redheaded dickbag has to go and wreck the nice new car I just inherited from my father. Enough is enough.

My old reliable ice blade forms from my hand and I promptly shove it into his chest. For some reason, instead of the usual comforting slick sound of a perfectly sharp blade sliding into flesh, I'm instead met by the crack of ice shattering as my blade splinters against his chest. He must work out. "Could you repeat all that," I ask. "I wasn't listening."

The man standing before me is my height, almost as slim, and has a somewhat flamboyant mop of red hair, that I've no doubt he thinks makes him look suave. He looks like he'd be more at home on a runway than bashing my head in. The suit he had been wearing is falling off of him in shreds, with scraps still stuck to the wreckage of my car. Finally, someone knows my pain. "You're Elsa Arlotti. The Borealis." It's not a question.

"And yet I haven't even heard of you. What god would you happen to be, and what did the previous Borealis do to piss you off?"

"I'm no god." His fist collides with my head.

I actually see stars. I thought that was just a cartoon thing. I've taken more than my share of blows to the cranium, growing up trans in an orphanage and then in the mafia, you don't really have much choice about it, but I have never been hit like that before.

Before I have the chance to recover, I feel his hands clasp around my wrist, and he begins to tug. As I try to blink away the stars and muster up some kind of response, his foot meets my gut and I go flying back half a block.

He didn't let go. I look down in shock at the torn and bleeding mass of sleeve, flesh, and bone where my arm once was. Holy fuck. I really hope I can heal that.

In his hand, with the remaining half of my sleeve stubbornly clinging to it, is the rest of my arm, with the bracelet Anna had just given me three days ago still attached. "Give that back," I manage, my words contorted from the pain. "It was a gift." He can keep the arm for all I care, but not Anna's bracelet. Struggling to my feet, I forge a new arm of ice, and armor up. I don't know if it'll help against whatever the hell this jerk is, but I'd rather not lose any more limbs. My vision is blurred at the edges, and the stars have redoubled their effort to obscure what little I can see. "Give it back!"

"What, this?" He holds my arm up to his face like it's a piece of food he wants to inspect before sending it back to the kitchen. I'm a little insulted, I'd like to think I had a pretty nice arm. Instead of calling for his waiter, however, he pulls back and flings my limb off into the distance, passing over at least one skyscraper. What the fuck? "I don't think you'll be needing it any more."  
Before he can separate me from any other part of my body, I freeze his legs to the ground. This only stops him for a moment, however, as he quickly manages to pull free. Fortunately, it was just enough time for me to hurl a javelin of ice at his head. Unfortunately, even his head seems to be un-fucking-breakable and it shatters on impact. What is this fucker made of?

"You know what? Fuck it, I'm tagging out." A gargantuan creature made of ice appears behind him, wrapping its arms around my would be murderer. As he struggles, an icy version of myself, the same one Anna had enjoyed so much the other night, forms before him and attempts to gouge out his eyes with jagged fingers – I may have made one alteration to my double. Without letting up, a massive spike forms under him, rising straight for that most sensitive of areas. Take that, you cock sucker.

He screams, his anger and pain echoing through the street. Then, he emerges, in an explosion of icy shards, his empty eye sockets oozing blood as he charges right at me. What does it take to put this bitch down?

Ice wraps around his heart and I attempt to crush it, but it doesn't give. Smaller, many limbed beings pounce on him, one after another, until he's weighed down in a pile of writhing octopus-like monsters.

Again he emerges. So I do what any sensible person would do and shoot him in what would be his left eye. He doesn't go down, but he does stop in his tracks, a quizzical expression on his blood covered face.

I shoot again. And again. I empty the entire magazine into his eye and then pop in another one and empty it into his right eye. Then, just to be one hundred percent certain that he's down, I cause a swarm of tiny ice spiders to climb inside of his shredded eye sockets and pick away at whatever remains.

He falls. And a massive anvil descends from the sky onto his head. This is a cartoon after all.

I hesitantly approach his body and prod at it with a ten foot pole. He doesn't stir. I thwack him with the pole. Still nothing. Is he finally dead?

I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding. That was the most exhausting kill I've ever had in all my years at this job.

Someone actually fucking starts slow clapping somewhere behind me.

I turn around, slowly, desperately hoping that it's just some crazy person who decided to watch my epic showdown. I am exhausted. It's been a very long day. I was assaulted by another god, I had to kill my father and take over the mafia, and then I had my arm ripped off and received a few new concussions. I do not have another fight in me.

Finally facing the source, I see an incredibly beautiful dark haired woman, wearing a long burgundy dress, smirking at me, her hands clasped in the final motion of her applause. "Good work, Boreas. I'm very impressed."

I pant in reply.

"I do hope that wasn't too much work for you. I'd hate to think that I put you out at all."

"What are you talking about?" I finally manage, dropping to the ground to sit. If she's going to kill me, then I can at least be comfortable, and if she's going to monologue then just all the more reason.

"That was the product of my husband's latest dalliance. I told him that if he managed to kill you, I'd accept him into the family and stop attempting to arrange for his death," she explains, slowly and clearly, as if talking to a kindergartner.

"You sent him? What the hell did I ever do to you? And why are you clapping if your guy lost?" None of this shit makes any sense.

"Oh, I certainly hoped that you would triumph. I needed to see what you were capable of, and if it could rid me of that nuisance, Hans, then all the better. Believe me, Zeus will be hearing a mouthful from me. He couldn't even manage to produce an impressive specimen this time. I swear, his affairs are growing more and more sordid as the centuries pass.

"Zeus?" I had never heard of Boreas or Notos before this week, but even I know that name. He's the king of the gods. "You're Zeus's wife? Hera? So all of it's really real? So what, was that Hercules?"

"Oh please, Heracles would have never gone down so easily?"

"You call that easy?!" If I had the energy I would rise to my feet to emphasize my words, but I'm just too tired. I don't even have it in me to make a chair.

"Was that you going all out? Wow, and here I was thinking you were trying to keep things interesting. I'm a bit disappointed, but I trust that you'll grow better in time. You're certainly more competent than your father."

Well at least there's that. "Your boy took my arm –"

"He is not MY boy!" Venom drips from her words as her bored facade quickly vanishes. "That reminder of my husband's infidelity, that worthless piece of human filth, had nothing to do with me and don't you dare insinuate it again."

I nod, swallowing the lump in my throat. This woman is a full-fledged god. She could tear me apart without a thought, especially as I am right now. Maybe I ought to scale back my usual flippancy. "Well he threw away the bracelet my girlfriend gave me. I would really like it back if you could get it for me. I'm sure it would be no issue for someone of your might – not to mention your beauty." The concussions may have messed up my suaveness.

Her expression softens into a warm smile. "A pittance. Of course, it will only be a moment." She doesn't so much as flicker. Instead my bracelet isn't in her hand one second and then is the next. I'd say it's like a miracle, but as an act of god, I suppose it is one.

"Thank you." I force myself to my feet, but she saves me the trouble of walking over to her, appearing before me and handing over the precious present.

Her fingers graze mine as she releases Anna's bracelet, sending a stirring through my stomach and downward. "As I said, it's nothing. Now how may I properly reward you for ridding me of that filth?" I certainly know what part of me wants, the way the slightest hint of her godly touch felt, but Anna would never forgive me, and she's already shot me twice today.

What could I even ask for? My arm? To be back home? Any of them seem an awful waste of a gift from an actual fucking god.

That's it! She's not the only god I have to deal with. "I need a way to defeat Notos. If you could either help me, or give me some sort of weapon that would let me kill her – I still haven't recovered from her attacks, I can't deal with that again."

She considers my words for a moment before nodding. "Help with Notos," she mutters to herself, clearly contemplating exactly how she could provide it. "I can certainly see how he could be quite the bother. Fire does have a tendency to melt ice after all." Thanks, lady, like I didn't already know that. "I'll give you a weapon. I can interfere no more than that, I still owe your brother a favor as well, though I doubt he'd stoop so low as to cash it in over you."

She's such a charmer. "What do you mean brother? I thought she was a girl."

"She may be in that form now, but just as Boreas is a god, so too is he."

I grit my teeth. "I'm definitely a woman."

Hera only shrugs, apparently such trivial matters as gender identity are beneath her. "Whatever you say." A sword appears in her hands. "I would advise you keep this on you at all times, she has had it out for you for eons, and I highly doubt she'll ever let you relax."

The burns in my back itch just thinking about a rematch. I sure hope it's just her attacks that don't heal, and not all gods', as I'd really rather like my arm back. "Could I at least have a sheath for it then?"

Groaning she nods again. "Oh bother, very well." A sheath appears at my hip, held up by the leather belt I was already wearing. How does she do that?

"Thank you, your majesty."

"A little respect goes a long way. I'm more than happy to aid those who show it. You belie your reputation, Boreas, I'm glad to see this vessel is less stupid than all the men you've ridden before."

"I try."

And with that she vanishes, leaving me alone in a street filled with blood, ice, and pieces of Francis Arlotti's favorite car. I guess I'm walking.


	7. Warm Hugs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have finished writing the remaining seven chapters of this fic and am just working on editing them. The remaining chapters should be uploaded about once a week.

“Mistress, I found this for you!”

That doesn't sound like Anna. She'd never call me that. Hell, she'd beat me for even thinking it. I slowly blink my eyes open to find my missing hand inches from my face. I try to wiggle my fingers. Nothing. So it hasn't regrown.

I turn slowly to the source of my hand to find a squat snowman with an eager gleam in his icy eyes. “Good morning, Mistress! I found your arm.”

Nope. Too much. I'm going back to sleep.

“Wait, don't sleep, we need to reattach this! I'd do it, but...” he waves his stick-like arms, “I can't.”

The clock on the bedside table shows that it's just after midnight. Anna still isn't home. I guess I'd best just get this over with before she has to see this little gremlin holding my severed arm and starts to think the worst.

“I kept it on ice for you.”

Why am I cursed with this thing?

Before I have a chance to do anything about this strange new abomination, I hear the front door swing open and Anna's footsteps in the other room. “Under the bed, now.”

“If you say so, Mistress.” He does as he's bid. At least he's obedient, if nothing else.

Anna saunters into the room, ripping off her blouse. “That was exhausting, but it's finally over. At least for today. You better appreciate what you've done,” she grumbled.

The horrifying monstrosity born of my powers crawls out from under the bed and waddles over to her, his arms spread wide. “Hi, I'm Olaf and I like warm hugs.”

Anna promptly kicks it. “What the fuck is this?”

“Apparently it's Olaf.”

“Wait, is that a human arm?!” Sure enough, my arm is protruding from the snowy forehead, just above his ridiculous carrot-shaped nose.

I wave my own frosty appendage at Anna. “Yeah, it was kind of ripped off.”

Anna rushes over to me, pulling my new arm to her to examine. “What happened? I'm so sorry, here I was all pissed at you for giving me paperwork, and you had to go through this. Why didn't you tell me? Is there anything I can do?”

“I'm fine. You should see the other guy.”

“Elsa –”

“Really, I'm fine. Just get my arm from that weirdo over there.”

“Olaf, would you please hand me Elsa's arm?”

The annoying little shit turns to me. “Mistress?” Well, fuck.

“Oh, so you're 'Mistress' now, are you?”

I knew this would happen.

“Maybe I should spank you with your own hand, that ought to change your attitude a bit.”

“Just hand it to her,” I groan, trying to ignore Anna. “You can spank me after I'm back in one piece.”

“I can?” Olaf asks, surprise clear in his childish voice.

“No, you can melt. Anna can.”

“Oh, can I?” She asks, sitting next to me, my lost appendage firm in her grasp.

I let my prosthetic melt and turn to her. “Please, just fix it. Save the play for later?”

Anna blinks. “Elsa, are you sure you're okay?” She holds my arm to its socket, clearly unsure of how to proceed. “I don’t really know what to do here.”

I let a small layer of ice secure it in place, and just hope that my healing powers will take care of it. “It's pretty new to me too. ”

“Elsa, please. Answer the question.”

I sigh. I hate being serious, but I suppose I can hardly blame her when I just told her to do the same. “No, I'm not okay. I have burns all over my body that still haven't fully healed and that ache with every movement I make, I have no idea if I'm even doing this right to re-attach my arm, or if I even can, I've been flung into some crazy world where I'm supposed to be a god and every other god seems to have a bone to pick with me. I don't know what the hell is going on, what I'm supposed to do, or when any of this will start making sense! I'm so powerful that I was able to kill our father without even moving, but then that redheaded asshole – not you – got the jump on me and I felt utterly helpless. I was so scared that I dropped an anvil on his head after I killed him just to be sure, and when I woke up to meet that little creep,” -- I nod my head in Olaf’s direction -- “part of me was still scared that it would be him. Or Notos. I had felt so powerful yesterday – wait, it's after midnight, isn't it? – two days ago, and then all of that was taken away from me. Killing Pops helped, but I still feel like I'm in so far over my head and I have no idea what I'm doing.”

Anna pulls me into a tight hug. “Well at least you're not alone.” It makes my burns hurt all the more, but I don't have the heart to tell her.

“Yeah, but I killed the only people who wanted to tell me anything useful. Granted, they deserved it, but still. What am I going to do, Anna? This has all just gotten so out of hand.”

“We'll figure it out. Together. I promise.”

“I hope you're right.”

She sighs and pulls away. “Maybe we should sleep on it. In the morning, things might seem a little easier – hell, maybe your arm will be reattached.”

I nod and lay my head back on the pillow. It's damp from ice-cold sweat.

She throws off the rest of her clothing and climbs in behind me, her arm wrapping possessively about me. I have to admit, this five-foot-nothing human managed to make this god feel safer than she has in days.

I wake up to find that Olaf has disappeared and that there is still an incredibly sexy naked woman clinging to me. Taking the only reasonable course of action available to me, I turn to kiss her.

This manages to wake her, but rather than complain, she grabs my ass and darts her tongue into my mouth. She was right, things are looking much brighter this morning.

 

~o~

 

I rub my wrists. The mark from the handcuffs has already healed – yay god powers – but I swear I can still feel them. I catch a smirk from Anna looking over from the driver's seat. She seems more than pleased with herself. I suppose she must miss being able to mark me. Kinky bitch.

“Did I go too hard on you earlier?” she asks. She can barely keep herself from laughing.

I give her a disapproving glare, but she doesn't take her eyes off the road for long enough to notice. I want to pout playfully, but it hardly seems becoming of The God of the Northern Winds, so I instead stick my tongue out at her. Much more regal.

“You have far better things to do with that, I promise you.”

She's fucking insatiable. “I didn't do enough of it already? Three hours and a few dozen orgasms weren't enough to satisfy you?”

“I'll let you know when I'm satisfied. I am your boss now, after all.”

What exactly have I gotten myself into? “Wow, already growing corrupt?”

She turns back to me for long enough that I can see that I genuinely worried her. Well great, now I feel bad. “I'm not going to be like our father, Elsa. I can't be. If you ever see me going down that road –”

“You won't. I was just joking, you're worrying over nothing. Anna, you're the best boss any of us idiots could've ever asked for.”

She laughs, sounding far more derisive of my idea than anything else. “We'll see. Plenty of them seem to agree with you, but I'm not sure if it'll be enough. I really don't know, Elsa.”

“It'll be fine. Anyone left who still doubts you –” I let my imagination run wild for a moment, baring my teeth, “I'll make sure that they come around.”

“That's just it though, I need to show that I'm not just using your power to control everyone. I need to be able to stand on my own.” She pulls into a parking lot, in front of our favorite diner. We haven't been here in years, and she had me out of bed with the mere mention of their French toast.

“Use me all you need. I'm your sword.” I glance down at the scabbard at my hip. I look ridiculous. “That's how this game works. You have lieutenants to run things for you. Pete can advise you on the day to day stuff, and I can kill your enemies. It's how Pops – it's how it's done. You won't look weak for it, I promise.”

She clearly heard my aborted sentence. Her head hangs low, as she throws open the door and climbs out of the car. Me and my big mouth. I follow after her. “Let's just get some food in us and we'll both feel a lot better.”

We seat ourselves at the counter, and quickly place our orders – coffee for both of us, with a cinnamon roll and sausage for her and French toast and bacon for me. “We're probably going to need a couple pots. You didn't exactly sleep last night, and I only managed an hour or so.” It's the first words I've said since I last stuck my foot in my mouth. I watch her expression carefully. She's been pissed at me enough this week, when we normally almost never fight. I'd really rather she not hate me for the somewhat understandable reason of comparing her to the monster who adopted us.

She shrugs, her eyes focused on the slowly filling mug of coffee before her. She thanks the waitress before responding. “I'm all right. I feel wired, like I've already downed a few cups. Maybe that's just the effect you have on me.”

I bite my lip and turn to my own cup. Glad she's not mad at me – and that I talked her out of leaving the clamps on for the rest of the day – but I had just managed to get my mind off our morning excursion and blushing is really embarrassing.

“We have a long day ahead of us,” she says, her mind already back to work. Why isn't she more distractible?

“First real day as the new Don.” It hardly matters if the waitress overhears us, the whole city will know soon enough. “It'll be fine, I promise. Your people love you, you're really overthinking this.”  
“They might love me, but they don't respect me. Hell, our father made sure of that. The way they responded to some of the horrible things he said about you – about me – Elsa, they think we're just a couple of freaks. I really don't know how many will actually follow me now. I'd be shocked to see that there wasn't already a massive wave of people running off to join other families. It would certainly explain how the other families have already been acting according to Pete. I hope we'll actually have enough people to put up a fight.”

I blink. When the hell did she have the chance to talk to Pete? People are already making moves against her? Why wasn't I informed of any of this? Aren't I supposed to be one of her consiglieri as well?

“What are they doing?”

“They've just already started making their move on our territory. I'd been expecting it, but not quite this quickly.”

“Then let's go get revenge. Who do you want me to kill?”

She frowns. Clearly not the right thing to say. “That's why I hadn't said anything yet. I've been trying to think of any way out of this, and I've come up with nothing. We look weak with someone as inexperienced as me at the head, and they know it, it's why they're already muscling in. I can't go to them asking for peace when they think they have the upper hand.”

“Then we just need to show them that they're wrong.” I take her hand in my own, my thumb gently massaging her knuckles. “It'll be fine.”  
She groans, leaning back in the stool far enough that I'm a little worried she'll fall. “I know that, Elsa. That's what I'm afraid of. It will be fine. It'll be normal. I'll order my girlfriend to go kill a bunch of people and that'll just be who I am now. They'll learn to fear me, the rest of the family will do the same, maybe eventually respect me, and I'll be a murderer, a monster, every bit our father's daughter.”  
I clasp both hands around hers, pulling it close. “You are nothing like him. You're no monster. You know what's necessary, and you'll do it, and it'll hurt. And that's a good thing, it should hurt.”

“It will this time. What about the next? The one after that? I've killed before and I'll do it again, but it keeps getting easier. When did it stop hurting you?”

I feel my mouth go dry just as our plates are set down. I desperately want to take the opportunity to ignore her question, to just shove food in my face and pretend that she didn't ask me that, but I can't do it to her. I owe her the truth. I will never lie to her. “It was never that hard, but I still felt bad about it the first couple times. I know you know that, you were there when I threw up after my first job. I'm just trying to explain the whole thing,” I add when I see her open her mouth. “I enjoyed it even then. That’s what bothered me, not the kill. I am a monster, and it's why I don't deserve to lead this family. It's also why you do, because it will never be easy for you to order a hit. It will never be your first response. I'll be your monster. I'll do whatever you need me to, but it'll never be easy for you, and I don't ever want it to be.”

Tears form in her eyes, but she manages to blink them away, pulling her hand back from me. “Thank you, Elsa. Eat your food before it gets cold.”

She doesn't have to tell me twice. I let her drop it, but I will never let her forget it.


	8. Same as the Old Boss?

“Didn't know we had LARPers in the family.” Uncle Jared laughs. He always has to find some way to make fun of me. Anna made me promise not to decapitate any of her men. Surely he'd be an exception.

I draw my sword an inch out of its sheath. “Well since I'm a LARPer, I think I just found a dragon to slay.”

Anna's eyes are a terrifying inferno as she glares at me. My sword slides back into its sheath. “We already have enough enemies on the outside, we will remain civil here,” Anna stated in a voice that brooked no argument, “And that means both of you.”

Jared laughs. “Of course we have enemies, we always have, and now that we have a twenty-one year old girl in charge, they'll show us just how weak we look. Hell, how weak we clearly are. They took over eight of our rackets in a single night! You've been in charge for maybe twelve hours and you've already cost us millions! This never would have happened with your father in charge.”

Without a word, Anna levels a pistol at his head. I'm not sure if I'm more proud or turned on, but there's definitely a few stirrings going on in my body. “One more word that isn't ‘I'm so sorry, Ms. Arlotti, I get really stupid when I haven't had my morning coffee and it'll never happen again,’ followed by you kissing my ring, and I'll pull the trigger.”

This gains her a derisive snort. “Unlike your girlfriend, you don't have the balls.”

“Steam cleaning is going to be such a bitch.” She rolls her eyes and pulls the trigger. His brains splatter over the wall and table. As one of the few people who can speak from experience, it's not a pleasant feeling. “Anyone else have anything to say on the subject?” Her eyes and pistol both glance around the room. No takers. “Good. Back to business. The Marcone family took over our bank last night, along with three other businesses -- but of course Jared couldn't count -- and we're going to send a message. I'd like each of you to assemble a team of your best men and put the fear of god into them. Pete, you'll be taking back the brothel. Elsa, I don't want a single person left alive in our old bank. They're either a member of the Marcone family or they're a traitor, either way get the message across. Tony and Martha, I'll leave what to do with the last two to your discretion. It's all a slight, but they were substantially less important. Gary, Fredo, take some of their territory, I don't care what, just make it quick. They'll see precisely how strong our family is under my leadership.” She gestures to each of us as she issues orders. If it was our father, I wouldn't be paying attention, but with her – well, I always listen to her orders.

“Yes, ma'am.” I want to ask if she's sure. Just an hour ago she was saying how she wished she could find a peaceful way out of this, but I'm not questioning her in front of everyone else, she shot me enough yesterday. Besides, if this is what she decided, she must think it's what will result in the least loss of life. For her sake, I hope she's right.

“Any questions?”

We all shake our head. Jared is starting to smell and we want out of the room. “Good, then get to it. Pete, a moment?” She gestures to him as everyone leaves.

I stay behind too. Why wouldn't I? She's my girlfriend.

“It's fine, Elsa. Just go take care of it.” She sounds almost angry. She doesn't blame me for this, does she? I am the one that put her in charge, but we seemed fine at breakfast. I hesitate for a moment before following after the others. Maybe she'll be feeling better by the time I get back.

I grab the first two idiots I see and we head out. I let Marco drive while Jeremy rides shotgun – literally – so that I can change out of my suit and into my ice armor. By the time we arrive at what was once the Arlotti family's bank, the sheath and holster sit comfortably over my icy plate mail.

While Anna was preparing for the meeting, I had looked over the armor designs from a few of Pop's history books for ideas. This one allowed for a bit more freedom of movement without having to thin out the ice in whatever section of my body I needed to bend. I also changed the face mask into a full helmet, ripped straight from a German design. It made the whole thing look a lot more intimidating, which is certainly the idea when you're trying to send a message via a body count. Hopefully someone runs away so I'll actually have a witness to describe it.

I step out of the car. The thunk of ice on pavement still takes some getting used to. “Come on, boys, we've got some chaos to wreak.”

They flank me as I enter the building, shotguns at the ready. I stand unarmed, my left hand resting lightly on the magical sword's hilt. I hope Anna doesn't regret this.

All at once, the heart of every other person in the room is pierced by a shard of ice. I let the other two check the corpses, make sure I didn't miss anyone.

I didn't. This does get so boring sometimes. As we turn to leave, Marco and Jeremy suddenly catch on fire. Oh no. 

I swallow the lump in my throat as Notos saunters in.  “Been a while, brother,” she coos, her voice sounding from somewhere within her flaming head.

“No. No it hasn't. It was yesterday. It's been maybe fourteen hours! I still have burns from the last fight!” This is fucking ridiculous. And she made me sound all flustered. I was gonna go 'Well if it isn't The Girl on Fire,’ like she was fucking Katniss Everdeen or something. Whatever, it was a terrible joke anyway.

“Well time flies.” She cackles. She actually cackles. “Oh well, time to die.”

“Yeah, for you!” I draw my new toy from its sheath. Guess we'll find out if it's as useful as Hera claimed.

She pauses, smoldering eyes running the length of the blade. “Hephaestus? You've been in contact with our family? How is he? I don't think I've talked to him in at least a century.”

I really need to get around to doing that research on Greek gods. How did I think to research armor before my own literal god family? “Who?”

“That is his make, isn't it?”

I'm tired of this conversation. I swing at her, hoping to take her head off before she can react.

Of course, the bitch catches it. “What happened to you, brother? Who made you so violent? Killing our siblings wasn't enough? I wanted to have a civilized conversation, but apparently that's just too difficult for you.” She plunges a single burning finger into my abdomen, passing right through the armor like it wasn't even there. I can feel her inside of me. Hardly how I like to be fingered.

I kick her knee, bringing her to the ground, and painfully ripping her finger out of me. Her grip on the blade loosened, I pull back for another swing.

She rolls to the side, leaving only smoldering tiles for the sword to hit. I wind up for another swing as she comes at me from the side, her fist a whirlwind of flames.

My own hand, ensconced in ice, manages to catch it. I swing again, but pull back before following with a thrust, my hand still wrapped around hers. She falls for the feint, moving directly into the sword's path.

The flames around the new hole in her hip turn a sickly blue and her eyes widen, the fiery irises enlarge to show a yellow dot of a pupil. Without giving her a moment to process it, I form spikes on the palm of the icy glove, stabbing into her arm as I yank the sword out and stab her again.

Instead of her heart, the blade buries itself in her shoulder. She wrenches free from my grip, my glove having turned to water, and promptly kicks me in the face.

Damn that woman is flexible. She also must have the strength of a linebacker, as I go flying to the far wall, my helmet burying itself in the marble. Fortunately, I managed to keep a hold of the sword, and I point it towards her as I pry myself free.

She looks as scared as a mask of flames can possibly look. Her eyes haven't left the sword, and she hasn't moved. I try to take a step toward her, only for a wall of fire to block the path.

I try slicing the fire away. That doesn't work. Apparently it's not that kind of magical sword. I hurl a ball of ice at it, clearing the way, save for the steam.

Two waves of fire hurdle toward me from either say, each as tall as the ceiling and a good ten feet wide. I throw up my own walls of ice, stopping the flames in their path, and falling for her feint. I react just a second too late as she buries a sliver of fire in my gut. I can feel my insides cooking. I can smell them.

“Brother,” she growls. I swipe at her with the sword, only for her to bat it away with another flaming dagger. “I should've killed you yesterday.”

“Well why put off to tomorrow –” I retort, my voice strained from pain. Before I can finish the quote, she rips the weapon out of me before plunging it into my chest. Not my heart, not yet. Guess she doesn't learn. This girl is always procrastinating.

“I will do it,” she insists. What, is she trying to talk herself into it? Well, if she's looking for a good reason to kill me, I'll give it to her.

I swing again and she blocks, again, but I drop the sword and my hand continues in its path, burying an icicle in her stomach. Let’s see how she likes it.

One of my creations tosses my sword back into my hand as I jump back and ready another swing. I charge forward, only for her to be shoved to the floor, and my blade to meet air. “Hi, I'm Olaf!” a voice calls.

The stupid fucking snowman is on top of her. Why now of all times? I meant to make that ice monster that I killed Hans with. I blow out a puff of air and it immediately condenses into mist.  Fuck it, I might as well take advantage of the situation while he's got her pinned.

I stand over her, the sword ready to go through her eyes. I plunge it downward, only for her to erupt in a ball of fire. I fall backward, but Olaf is incinerated. The little ice blue eyes in his misshapen face look back at me as he's consumed. I'm actually sad. A frozen tear clinks onto the ground. Stupid fucking snowman, I am not okay with being attached to you!

Before I can try to finish her off again, Notos scrambles to her feet, the burning embers that are her eyes staring defiantly into my own. “You'll pay,” she mutters, before turning tail and running away.

What? I chase after her. There's no way I'm going through this a third time. I will end her here and now, before she tries to interrupt my life any more.

Before I can catch her, a javelin of ice flies into my shoulder. What the hell? Th at's my shtick!

"So you're the lady who's been running around town ruining my good name!” Oh gods, not another one.

 


	9. A Whole New World

“Well great, what god are you? I don't think I've pissed off Athena yet. I know that one. Are you her?” I check in the direction Notos ran. She's already long gone. Thanks a lot, bitch.

“You'll not confuse me, villain! You can call me the Ice Queen, and I'm the one who should be asking questions. Why are you running around killing people and pretending to be me?” I finally turn to face the most recent person to impale me. That list is getting long. She's almost as short as Anna, with dark hair partially obscuring her brown eyes. She's already stabbing me and chewing me out, if I wasn't already taken, she'd be my type. She’s wearing a genuine superhero costume, only missing the cape. Am I in a comic?

“I'm not pretending to be anyone. And I'm not a villain! You just let the villain get away.”

The strange woman follows my gaze. “The fire woman? I assumed she was your partner. I'll find her next. But she's not the one that killed all of those people! How can you say you're not a villain? Everywhere you go I find a trail of bodies impaled by shards of ice! It's to the point that now when I try to save someone they run away out of fear that I'm you.”

I look back at the bank. It's on fire. That's not good. “She killed two of those people,”I offer weakly. It is really hard to make me sound like a good guy. “Everyone I killed was a mobster from another family. Killing them doesn't count. I haven't killed any innocents or anything.”

She stares at me, her mouth hanging open. I don't think she buys my story. “Oh, so the tellers were actually mobsters? Like with tommy guns and stuff? Why do I find that hard to believe?”

“This isn't the twenties, lady. We use M16s like grown ups.”

Her brows knit as she stares down at me. Harem pants swoosh as she shifts awkwardly. I don't think she's ever tried to assassinate someone before. “So you're a mobster too? So you are evil.”

“I am a mobster, yes, but I'm not evil. We just took over the family from someone who actually was evil. Now my girlfriend runs it, and she's as good as they come. She knew that us sending this message was the only way to limit future bloodshed.” I adjust myself into a sitting position. The motion sends waves of pain through my body from my various burns and holes. I check the javelin in my shoulder. It's lodged pretty firmly, taking it out is going to be a bitch.

“Killing doesn't save lives! That doesn't even make sense. Wait, girlfriend? Like, you're gay? I swear I didn't know. That's not why I'm attacking you. It's just the murder thing. I'm not a homophobe. Some of my best friends are gay. I'm a good guy, we accept everyone. Just not murderers, 'cause murder is wrong.” She folds her arms over her chest, looking even less sure of herself than before. She's definitely new at this.

“Okay, and how is throwing a javelin at an injured woman better? Are you not trying to kill me? What exactly is your goal here?” With a slight tug the javelin comes free and the world disappears in a haze of white and red. I feel bile in my throat but I manage to keep it down. Ow. That hurt worse than branding. Not quite as bad as a flaming finger inside of your stomach though. Little bit more than a bullet in your ass.

She turns away, holding her hand to her mouth. “Don't just yank it out! That can't be safe! We need to get you to a hospital.”

I let the spear roll away and freeze over my various wounds. The burns on my back are acting up again too. My body is a wreck. The hospital might not be the worst idea. “I'll look into it later. First, I have to kill Notos.”

She turns back to me, her eyes narrow, her posture seeming more sure. “I won't let you kill anyone.” A new spear appears in her hand.

“How're you going to stop me?” I haul myself to my feet. It's enough to make me see stars for a moment. I might actually not have another fight in me. No, I'll manage, I'm not losing to this idiot.

“I'll fight you and then I'll turn you over to the police. That's what superheroes do. We don't kill people!” Her finger prods my chest.

I grab her wrist and twist the hand behind her back, wrenching her off balance. “You clearly don't know what you're doing. Why don't you go home? This is dangerous and you're going to get yourself hurt. Superheroes aren't real, kid.”

“I'm not a kid!” She tries to spin back around, with her fist flying in the general direction of my head.

Instead, I just drop her on her face. “Then stop acting like one. This is the real world, and in the real world when people go out looking for a fight, they either kill or get killed.”

She sweeps her leg at me, knocking me back on my ass. My back hits the pavement and the burns ignite yet again. “You're just making excuses! No one has to die. I was given this power for a reason, and I'll use it to keep society safe. I won't have someone running around hurting people in my city!”

“So how'd you get your powers? Whole lineage of magical deadbeat dads?” Using a nearby car I manage to pull myself back to my feet. Unfortunately, if I let go of it, I'm genuinely convinced I'll fall back down. It has been a really long couple of days.

“What? No. My father is great. What does that even mean? I found this magical artifact – or maybe it found me – it's supposed to be the hunting spear of Skaldi, but it's just a weird bracelet. It never really made sense to me, but it gave me a calling. I can save the world. Are you okay?” She approaches me and offers me her shoulder, helping me finish righting myself.

I make a staff out of ice and elbow her in the gut, supporting myself on the new stick. “That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard.” I gently shove her over. Her stance is awful. This is why Uncle Pete made sure I at least knew how to box.

As she falls she grabs my wrist and pulls me on top of her. She looks up, her cheeks coloring. She screams. “Get off of me! I'm not that kind of girl. I don't swing that way, not that there's anything wrong with it.” Fucking straight girls. “I'm not interested. No means no.”   
I headbutt her to make her shut up. “You're the one that pulled me over, you fucking idiot.”

She clutches her nose. I may have broken it. “Superheroes don't use that kind of language,” she replies, her voice nasally. Yeah, I definitely broke it.

“Oh for fuck's sake.” I knock her hand aside and pull her nose back into place. She screams again. “Stop yelling! I was just fixing your nose.”  
“That doesn't seem very evil.” She eyes me suspiciously, her lower lip protruding in a pout.

I roll my eyes and use my staff to help us both stand. “What's your name, kid?”  
“I'm not a kid!”

“What's your name, fully grown adult woman?”

She sticks her tongue out at me. She is hardly proving her point. “I'm Jasmine. What's it to you, villain?”  
“Name's Elsa. Now how about, instead of delaying me, you let me go kill the bitch who just set this neighborhood on fire?” I gesture around us. The fire has spread from the bank. It's feeling very hot. My staff is starting to melt.

“Oh.” She swallows, gazing at the flames. “I mean, no, I won't let you kill anyone!”

“Good grief.” I swipe at the back of her leg, knocking it out from under her, then head back to my car. I need to put some clothes on before my goddamn armor melts. I manage to climb into the backseat without blacking out from pain, and change back into the three-piece Armani suit I’d left in the car.

The door is wrenched open and the wannabe superhero glares in at me. “We're not finished yet. I told you, I'm taking you to the police.”

Doesn't she ever quit? “There's someone running around in your town causing all kinds of damage, and you're more concerned about the harmless mafiosa who's only a threat to other murderers?”

“Even murderers have a right to a trial!”

“Then why are you attacking me?”

“So you can have a trial! I'm taking you to the police! I keep telling you this.” She materializes a pair of handcuffs. So she can make more than spears. I don't think Anna would approve of me letting another woman cuff me.

I kick her in the face, sending her flying back, and giving me enough room to climb out of the car. She's adjusting her jaw, but I managed to miss her nose. Good. I had just fixed it. “I'm not the one you want, believe me. Fine, I'm not one of the good guys, but I'm hardly one of the bad guys.”

“You're a murderer!” She clamps one end of the cuffs around my wrist. I use them to fling her over my shoulder, smacking her into the trunk of the car. I then punch her in the temple.

Her body sags and she drops to the ground. I work at materializing a key. Ice forms in the lock and slowly takes shape until I can turn it and free myself. I let the cuffs fall to Jasmine’s feet. Now what am I going to do with her? I can't just leave the stupid girl here, who knows what could happen to her?

I open up the trunk and toss her in it. Not used to having live bodies in there, but hey, I've never been averse to breaking traditions.

Once I'm behind the wheel, I pull my phone from my pocket. The cracked screen shows two missed calls from Pete, one from Tony, another two from the estate's landline, and two more from a couple numbers I don't have saved. What the hell happened? I return Uncle Pete’s call.

“Elsa?” he asks.

“Yeah, it's me.”

“Oh, thank God. Are you okay?”

“Not especially. I ran into the same chick who saved your life last time.”

I can hear him gulp over the phone. I guess he didn't like being reminded that I tried to kill him yesterday. That's fair. “She just came here too. I don't know what happened, but she charged through the guards and straight into your father's – Anna's office.”

My heart stops in my chest. I swear saliva actually freezes in my throat, the lump is so solid. “Is she okay?” No. Please. She can't have hurt Anna. She can't. She can try to kill me – hell, she can kill me – but not that. Anything but that.

He takes in a breath.

“Pete, answer me. Is she okay?”

“We're not sure. She's injured. Badly. It looks like she was stabbed, but Notos ran away before we made it to her. She's unconscious, but she's on her way to the hospital.”

“Which hospital? I'll be right there.” I turn the key in the ignition, ready to floor it to whichever hospital I need.

“Martha’s driving her to St. John's. I don't know when she'll be able to take visitors.”

“She can take them right the fuck now. I'll be there in five minutes.”

“All right. Thank you. I have to stay here, someone needs to keep the men in line. There's utter chaos. She had just taken over, and now she's already – it doesn't look great. I need to make sure that no one tries to mutiny while she's recovering.”

The tires squeal as I take a left through a red light, cutting off a few oncoming vehicles. I'm immortal, they can try and hit me all they want. “Thank you, Pete. There's no one else I would trust with that. I'll give her your love.”

“Do whatever you can. I don't know how those powers of yours work, but we need her. Please look after her, Elsa.”

“I will. Always.”

 

~o~

 

I make the six mile trip in four minutes. I may have seen some police lights at one point, but I left them in my dust. I fly through the parking lot and park in between two vans, then dash to the emergency room.

Before I make it to the desk to ask where she is, I see her being wheeled in through the front door. All of the color is gone from her skin, her hair clings damply to her forehead, blood is already soaking the bandages tied around her waist. She looks like hell. “Anna.” The word scarcely makes a sound as tears flood my eyes. I rush towards her and grip her hand tightly. “I'm here, Anna.”

The men carrying her in don't meet my eyes. We have our own gurney at the house, I think this is it, so presumably they're two of ours, but I can't take my eyes off of her long enough to see who. It does explain why they wouldn't want to risk offending me. They failed to protect her. They had one job. They're supposed to be security at our compound and they let the bitch fly in and hurt her.

I let her do it. I let her get away. She did this just to hurt me.

No, Jasmine let her get away! I was chasing after her when that idiot impaled me. If she wants a villain then I'll give her one. I'll crush her useless little windpipe. It's her fault! It's her fault that Anna was hurt. I would have killed Notos if not for her!

I want to run back to my car and strangle the life out of the stupid girl, but I can't leave Anna's side. I need to be here the second she wakes up. I need to be here to keep her safe from Notos – from anything. I won't let anyone hurt her ever again.

Apparently we've been admitted. A nurse comes to us, with one of the men. He must have gone to the desk. I hadn't noticed. We're guided to another room. They transfer her to a bed and a doctor comes in.

One of the men says something to him. I can't even hear it. My entire world is Anna. The slight rise and fall of her chest is the only sign that she's still alive. It's too much. I can't lose her.

A nurse starts to pull her away and I place a warning hand on his arm, the sleeve frosting over under my fingers.

“We're taking her into surgery,” he explains, his voice calm and soothing. “We'll do everything we can for her. It'll be okay.”

My grip loosens and my hand falls back to my side. “If anything happens to her –” the threat sounds hollow, even to me. Everything about me is hollow right now. I can't lose her. I'm a goddamn god. It's not fair. There has to be something I can do. Something other than just sitting here while they work on her.

“Just leave it to us. She's in good hands.”

They take her away. I watch as they wheel her into a room that I'm not allowed inside. I want to threaten, cajole, or force my way in, but I can't risk making things tougher for her. I have to let them do their job.

I have to kill Notos.


	10. An Alliance of Gods

I stomp back to my car. It's her goddamn fault. That fucking idiot is the reason Anna was hurt! I yank the trunk open and find her still unconscious. I grab her shoulders and shake her. “Wake the fuck up!” I slap her.

“Mommy?” she asks, sounding half delirious. Hopefully I didn't cause any brain damage. She was unconscious for quite a while. I'd hate to have to kill a disabled woman.

“Not quite.” I grab her by the throat and pin her to the bottom of the trunk. “It's your fault! You let Notos get away! Because of you, my girlfriend –” my voice breaks, I don't even bother to compose myself, “because of you, Anna could die! I had her, but you interrupted things. Your stupid fucking heroics may have gotten the woman I love killed! If she dies, you join her.”

She tries to say something, but I'm putting too much pressure on her throat for words to come out. I consider ending her there, but she just looks so pitiful. I ease up, just enough for her to breathe. She coughs, gasping for air. “I just wanted to help people,” she sobs. “I didn't want to let you keep killing people and making people scared of me.”

“I kill bad people. If they're scared of me, then they likely aren't too innocent. Besides, it's been like four days, how has word already spread?”

She shrugs. Very helpful. “Killing is still wrong, but if that other lady is really such a danger, maybe we could team up. I've always wanted to do a superhero team up.” That was sudden. Is the oxygen still getting to her brain?

“I thought I was a villain.” It's her fault. I should just push down hard enough to crush her trachea. I'll watch her suffocate for what she did to Anna.

“Maybe you're more like an anti-hero. Heroes can team up with them. It'll be fun.”

“Spending any amount of time with you sounds as far away from fun as I could possibly imagine. I don't need to work with you, you'd just get in the way.”

“Was it Notice?”

“Notos,” I correct her, snarling the word.

“She got away last time and you weren't anywhere near as injured then, I'm assuming. There are still holes in you –”

“I'm fine.” I increase the pressure the slightest bit. I want to do it. I need to do it. She deserves it.

She gasps for air. I ease up a little. Damn it. Why is she so pathetic? “You need help. Let me help you. She just burned down a bunch of buildings and probably killed more people. I swore to protect this city. I'm not willing to kill her, but we have to stop her. Please, let me help you. We can settle our own differences later.”

“She needs to die.”

“We can stop her together. We can figure everything else out then, and you can kill me then if you still want to. Please, just let me protect my city first.”

I hate her. I hate her so fucking much. She is the absolute worst. “Fine.” I release her throat and let her climb out of the trunk. “Did you have a plan?”

Her eyes widen and she stares at me. “A plan? Like for how to stop her?”

“I figured I'd just stab her a bunch. I meant a plan to find her.”

“Oh.” She eyes me nervously, concealing her throat with her chin. “You don't know how?”

She is so useless. Why am I even bothering with her? “Well, she came for Anna already. I was just going to wait here and watch over her.”   
“That's a terrible plan.”  
Why am I not killing her again? “Well then what do you suggest?”

She shrugged. “We look for any fires starting somewhere else in town?”

I turn to head back inside. “I'm not leaving Anna alone. So we're staying here.”

“Fine.” She grumbles, but lets me lead her inside, back to the waiting room.

I tap my foot, watching every doctor that comes by, desperate for word of Anna. She has to be okay.

From her seat next to me, Jasmine places a hand on my shoulder. Who the hell does this girl think she is? “You don't have to worry, Elsa. Anna will be okay.”

“You have absolutely no idea what you're talking about! You haven't even met her. You're just some stupid little girl who thinks she's a superhero! What are you even doing here?” I shrug her hand off and give her a death glare, the temperature in the room dropping drastically.

She places her hand back. “I'm here to help. I let that villain get away because I was blinded by my single-minded pursuit of you. She'll be okay. Or else it's my fault, and that can't be true. It can't be. I'm a hero, I can't  have messed up that badly.”

I'm surprised to find myself laughing. Anna is possibly dying a few feet away and I'm laughing. Laughing because this foolish puppy of a superhero is convinced that the world is a wonderful place where everything always works out and evil is punished. Because she thinks she's Superman. “You did. You decided to attack me, without so much as a plan. If I was as bad as you thought I was, you'd be dead. Instead, I played with you for long enough that the love of my life might die instead. Because you didn't let me kill Notos. Because you're a fucking idiot.”

She sniffles, dabbing at her eyes with the sleeve of what must be the most garish super hero outfit I've ever seen. I will not feel bad for hurting her feelings. She had it coming, damn it. “You're right. I messed everything up. Why did you even save me? You clearly have no issue with killing people, why wouldn't you just kill me? It's what I deserved.”

I find myself hugging her. I'm possessed. This is not okay. Boreas must have taken control of me or something. “You're not that bad. You're just a bit of a stupid kid, but you'll learn. You're what, sixteen?”

“I'm eighteen!” She looks so offended I can't help but giggle. This is all so humiliating.

“When Anna was your age, she was a lot like you. I was always this jaded asshole, but she was pure. She didn't start to act more like me until our life ruined her.” Our father – the family – everything started to get to her. We were treated like scum, and we had to kill to get by. She was never meant for this life. Hell, I put her in charge and she almost dies the next day. Why didn't I just run when she wanted to? “Don't let the same happen to you. Don't lose who you are, okay? You're really annoying, but I'd hate to ruin you, and if you stick around me, it'll happen.” Does she have some super power that makes people care about her? I am not this nice.

“I'm at least sticking around until we finish fighting our supervillain.” She stops, gears turning in her head. Grinning, she looks up at me. “What's your superhero name?”

I hate her. “I guess it would be The Borealis.”

“The Ice Queen and The Borealis team up! Together we can take on anything.” She holds up her hand in a peace sign. I take it back. Anna was never this bad.

“I'm regretting this already.”

“Oh don't be ridiculous. This will be amazing!” She's beaming. She is far too happy for a hospital.

I glance back towards the operating room, wringing my hands. She has to be okay. She will be okay.

A nurse approaches us. “You need to sign in if you're looking to be treated.”

“We're fine,” I reply, my voice cold. “We're just waiting for my girlfriend to get out of surgery.”

“You don't look fine.” My clothes should be covering all of my injuries, and they should be cauterized anyway. I don't think I took a single punch to the face. He points towards my shoulder. “That looks pretty nasty. Let's get you signed in and the doctor can take a look at it.”

God damn it, Jasmine. I unbutton a couple buttons and show him that the hole in my shoulder is already healed. Unfortunately, she wasn't the only person to stab me in the shoulder. Notos’s burns are still there. Can I just not heal from her at all?

“That looks serious. Let's see what we can do.”

“Hell no, I'm fine. I have to look after Anna.” I button my shirt back up and conceal the wounds. Maybe if I hide them then he'll forget they're there. I just wish I could too.

“I can stay and wait for her,” Jasmine offers.

“She doesn't even know you.” Besides, she has a concussion, she should probably be the one seeing a doctor. “I'm fine. Go find someone else to treat.” There's nothing medicine can do that my powers can't.

He seems to decide that I’mnot worth the trouble. He turns to Jasmine. “What about you, miss? That's quite the shiner you've got there.”

She clutches at her face. “Oh no! Where's my mask! He can see my eyes, a superhero can't go out without a mask! Elsa, where is it?”

Was she even wearing a mask when we fought? “I think you forgot it, your Ice Queenness.” She calls me by my real name while complaining that she lost her mask. I don't give a shit either way, but it's still hypocritical as all hell. And I actually had a mask!

She covers her face with her hands. “No, I'm fine, no treatment needed. I was never here!”

“Right.” He backs away. Clearly dealing with two genuine superheroes is just too much for him. He is in awe of our might. Oh great, Jasmine is getting to my head.

“I'm sorry for stabbing you,” she says suddenly, after a few minutes of silence.

“It's fine. You weren't the first.” I just can't stay mad at this girl. It's like kicking a puppy.

“That doesn't matter. I should be better than that. I know better than to just stab someone because they seem to be evil. Even evil people don't deserve to have a javelin hurled at them without fair warning. I shouldn't have done it. Besides, you're not that bad.”

“So I'm not a murderer now?”

She frowns, considering my words. “Well, you are, but maybe you're not a bad murderer.”

“I'm a very good murderer.”

“Yeah! That's right.”

She didn't get the joke. How exactly is she going to help me fight Notos? She could barely stand up to a horriblyinjured me when I wasn't even trying to kill her. “How long have you been doing this superhero thing?”

Her face lights up. I will take note not to call her a superhero again. “It's been about a year now. It was really scary at first, but I've gotten really good at it. I even beat up that scary guy that was planting bombs all over the city this summer. I beat that wannabe god up last year too, before they could manage to finish the ritual to gain their power from the demon realm. That's when I started getting fans. I kinda saved the day.” She turns away, looking rather self-conscious.

She really managed to do all that? “Well you're fighting a real god now. You might be in over your head.”

She waves her hand in a dismissive gesture. “Nah, it's fine. I'm the Ice Queen. I can handle anything. Besides, I've got you there with me, and you're crazy strong. You even managed to beat me.”

“That's what worries me. I beat you when I was pretty beat up already. I hate to admit it, but she's stronger than me.” Even with this magical sword I was barely even keeping up with her. I can't beat her on my own, but this kid just isn't ready.

“She's injured too. You would have had her if I hadn't interrupted you, and I have to make that up to you.”

She handles kidnapping a lot better than I do. “Fine, but you're following my lead. I don't want to get you killed too – I mean, at all. Anna is gonna be fine.” She is. She won't die. She's too damn stubborn for that.

Jasmine squeezes my hand. “I'll be fine. I'm not exactly a rookie, you know. How long have you been doing this anyway? I hadn't heard of you until a couple days ago, but you seem really experienced. Were you a superhero in another town?”

I laugh. “I'm still not much of a superhero. I got my powers about four days ago, on my birthday.”

“Oh, happy birthday!” That ridiculous eager grin. She really is a puppy. Why is she always so happy?

“Thanks,” I grumble.

“Wait, you've only been doing this for four days? Then why are you such a good fighter? That doesn't even make sense. There's no way you would be able to beat me if you're that new.” She chews on her lower lip, staring contemplatively at me.

“I've been doing this for a long time, only the powers are new.”

“I guess that's not quite as bad then. I just don't like the idea of being shown up by someone so new to the game. Don't worry though, Elsa, you're a natural. You'll be the best superhero ever.” She jumps up from her chair. Does she need to go for a walk? I'm really not sure what she's expecting here. “We've got this!”

“Sure we do. Now sit down. We're still waiting on Anna.” I gesture towards her seat.

“Oh. Right.” She drops back into her chair with enough force for it to slam into the wall. She looks behind her, her cheeks coloring. “She will be okay, Elsa. I promise.”

I squeeze her hand in response. Come on, Anna. Just pull through. I need you.

 

~o~

 

I must have fallen asleep. One second there was no one there, the next a doctor was shaking me awake. “Ms. Arlotti?” she asks.

I nod.

“Your wife just made it out of surgery.” My heart skips a beat. No one has ever called her my wife before. I guess she just saw the same last name and assumed. I might just have to do something about that before too long. It's not like there was ever any doubt that it would happen, we just weren't in a hurry. An image of her in a wedding dress flashes before my eyes. It's a nice reminder of what I'm fighting for. I won't let Notos take that away from me. “If you'd like to come see her –”

“I'd like to take her home.”

She blinks, looking me up and down. “She should really rest here.”

“It's too open here, anyone could find their way in. We have doctors on staff. I'll make sure I have one looking after her. If you'd like to do so instead, I'm happy to pay for your time, but I'm taking her home.” I can't go to the apartment. Maybe a safe house? Someplace that not too many people know about. I know we can trust Pete, so he can pick a few men that he trusts, and one doctor, maybe a nurse, then little Ms. Ice Queen here, and me. That should do it.

She looks hesitant still. “I really think she should stay here.”

“We're leaving. You're coming or you're not.”

“My shift ends in two hours. Let me finish up and then I'll go with you. Deal?” She meets my eyes and holds out her hand. We can wait two hours. I'd rather have her than a mob doctor; they're not always the most reliable. Though Kevin's pretty good.

“Deal.” I take her hand. “But I'll be driving, and you'll be blindfolded. I'm not having anyone know where we are.”

“Kinky.” She giggles before giving me a wink. “My safeword is frog.”

I'm unsure if I'm more unnerved by my wife's – fuck I love saying that – doctor flirting with me or that her safeword is ‘frog.’ It's just a really dumb safeword. Really. “Why frog?” I have to know.

“It's something I would never say normally. Red could come up.”

She has a point. Jasmine stares between the two of us. “What are you talking about?”

I place a hand on her head. “Don't you worry your little head about it.”

Her pout is amazing. It's like the dictionary example of a pout. Anna had the exact same one when we were kids. She continues sulking for a full five minutes as we wait, but it doesn’t last, and she’s back to chatting my ear off until we finally leave.


	11. A Fight to the Death

Our kinky freak of a doctor lies passed out on the couch by me. Jasmine is snoring in the recliner. I can hardly blame them. It's been a long day. There is a guard at every door, with five more outside, and one at all four of the windows on the second floor. A nurse sits in a chair next to Anna's bed. Waiting is killing me. She's been back home for almost twelve hours now. Why can't she just wake up? Please, Anna, I need you.

“Why do I feel like I was hit by a semi?”

That voice. I leap to my feet and run to the bed. Her eyes are still closed, but I know it was her. “Anna?”

“I sure hope so.” It's her. It's really her. Her brows knit as she tries to sit up. I don't know when the nurse joined me, but she holds her down.

“You shouldn't be moving yet. You've been through a lot.” She wipes Anna's forehead with a damp cloth.

Her eyes open and she takes in her surroundings. “Elsa, who the hell is this? I have work to do, and she can stop holding me here.”

“Anna, you were attacked. You need to rest.”

She squints at me. “You put me in charge, you think I'm going to let a little thing like a truck running me over stop me? Just give me a few painkillers, I'll be fine.”

The nurse, taking absolutely none of Anna's shit, explains, “You were impaled multiple times. Then you went through surgery. Sleep. You can run your illegal business later.”

Her squint turns into a glare, directed straight at the nurse. Her eyes seem to blaze with her anger. I think I might be melting a bit. “What hospital do you work for?”

“St John's –”

“The head of internal medicine is on our payroll. Good man, came to my father's last birthday. So when I say that I'm fine, I assure you, he'll tell you the same.” She looks at the wall then down to the foot of the bed she's in. “Elsa, where am I?”  
“You're in a safe house. I made sure that no one knew where it was, and I took everyone's phones. We just have radios to communicate. I even made sure that we sent cars to two other safe houses. No one knows where you are.”

“Well I was going to tell her to let me go home, but I suppose that does simplify things.” Her expression softens. “Do you know what happened to me?”

“Notos – that wind god that attacked me before – she attacked you. It's my fault. I'm so sorry, Anna.”

She squeezes my hand. “You're not the one who attacked me. It's fine. I love you, Elsa.”

Dr. Lee stirs on the couch. “She awake?” she asks, her voice a dry croak.

“Yes, doctor.” The nurse turns to her. “Maybe you can talk some sense into her.”

She checks the readouts on a couple of machines plugged into Anna. “Well, Ms. Arlotti, you seem to have recovered really well. I'd really like to keep you under observation for another twenty-four hours though.”

“I can't. You don't understand. I can't look weak right now. I need to go back to work.”

“Do it from here for the rest of the day at least. Just let me keep an eye on you tonight.” Now she's trying to spend the night with Anna, and here I was thinking I was special.

“Fine,” Anna grumbled. “But do you have to observe so closely? Go get some coffee or something, let me have a few minutes alone with Elsa.” Barely recovered and already rearing to go.

“All right. Come on, Carol, I'll buy you lunch.” She gestures toward the nurse, who was apparently named Carol, I hadn't bothered to ask, and they head out.

“Wait, they can't leave the compound,” I realize, almost too late.

“It's fine, Elsa.” Anna pulls herself out of bed and manages to stand. She takes a step and turns to me, looking a bit more confident. Fuck, I can still barely manage standing. “I'll humor her for tonight, but I'm not concerned anymore. Let them know where I am. If they can manage to get through you and all of the guards, then I clearly deserve it.”

I grumble in acknowledgment. Her reasoning is ridiculous. We should actually work to keep her safe, not just dare Notos to attack her, but I'm certainly not going to question her. I put her in charge for a reason, if you want to talk her out of it, be my guest.

She walks over to the couch and throws herself into it. I guess those few steps took more out of her than she was willing to admit. “Elsa, I know you're scared, Believe me, I am too. I'm still not entirely sure what happened. But we can't show weakness. The Marcone Family is eager to jump on any perceived chink in our armor. They don't think I'm capable of leading this family, and I will be damned if I let them prove otherwise. Because of this, I need you to –” she reclines on the couch, her leg hitting Jasmine. “Who the fuck is this?”

“Erm?” she murmurs, wiping at her eyes. “Elsa?”

Anna stares at me. This could be awkward. “Morning, Jasmine. I guess it's time for you to meet Anna.”

Her eyes widen and she sits bolt upright, suddenly awake. “It's The Ice Queen! Don't go using my civilian name in times like this.” She throws her arms out in a stretch. “Or if I'm helping the mob maybe I shouldn't be using my superhero name. I am working for the greater good – I think – but it hardly seems appropriate. Maybe a code name?”

“Let me rephrase my question. What the hell is this?” Anna gestures pointedly toward her footrest.

“This is Jasmine, she was helping me look after you.” Granted, that was only because she fucked things up in the first place, but first impressions are important and I'm not THAT big of a bitch.

“Wait, Anna?” The grogginess finishes vanishing from her head as the momentousness of the occasion finally hits her. “She's okay? Oh thank God. I was so scared. I thought I was going to be responsible for her death. I don't know what I would've done.” She throws her arms around Anna. “Oh I'm so glad you're okay!”

Anna stiffens but pats her back. “Elsa, why is it clinging to me?”

“It's a puppy. You know how puppies are. She needs you to smell like her.”

“Isn't that cats?”

Jasmine seems to only squeeze her tighter as she shakes with sobs. “I was so scared. I could have cost Elsa everything.”

“Um, there there,”Anna offers.

“I'm going to help Elsa avenge you, I promise. Not like kill or anything, just beat Notos up. Killing is still wrong, even if she is a murderer. I won't let anyone hurt the people of my city, let alone burn down whole city blocks. You can rest safe knowing that The Ice Queen and her new sidekick are on the case!” She pulls back from Anna to grin up at her.

“You're the sidekick,” I spit back. God damn, do I regress with her.

Anna pushes Jasmine off of her and stands to face me. “Elsa, where did you get this new pet? Is it at least potty trained?”  
“I'm not sure on the second part, but I picked her up on that job you sent me on. She's just kinda clung around since then – or at least after I kidnapped her.”

Jasmine laughs and leans back against the couch. “It wasn't kidnapping, we're friends now.”

“Why exactly did you decide to kidnap it?” Anna is looking at me in a way that suggests I'm going to pay for this tonight. She's gotten so kinky since I became immortal.

“She's a sweet kid and I figured she'd be useful.” It's true enough. I can hardly let her know that I have a conscience.

Anna studies the younger woman like she's sizing up prey. “How exactly is she useful?”

Jasmine seems perfectly happy to answer that question. She leaps up from her seat and materializes an ice spear in her hand. “I'm the city's greatest super hero. You can call me The Ice Queen.”

“Hm.” She rips the spear from Jasmine's grasp and holds it an inch from her face. “It's just like yours, Elsa. There's another Borealis? How would that even work?” I know Anna well enough to know that she seems annoyed by this rather than impressed. I'm not sure why. Seems like this would be exactly what she'd want when there's a super villain trying to kill her.

“She has another god's powers. I forget which one. They just work really similarly.”

Her expression morphs into a smirk. “I can use this. Elsa, I need you to go to a meeting with the Marcone's. Why don't you take your new toy with you? You can see if she's actually ready for this kind of life.”

Jasmine jumps in front of her, waving her arms. “No, no, no, no, no. I am not joining the mob. I'm a good guy! I'm just helping keep you safe. There is no way I'm willing to work for your vile criminal enterprise.”

I'm not up for corrupting this girl. I've already done enough damage to Anna, I'm not doing the same to her. “There's no way we're going anywhere. We need to watch over you. Let Uncle Pete go to the meeting.”

Anna bites her lower lip as she considers this. She knows I'm right. It's ridiculous to do this now. The meeting can wait until she recovers. “All right. Elsa, you go. If she's just here to guard me from Notos, then let her do that. You go protect my name.”

I take a step back. No way. There's so many other people she could send instead. “Anna –”

“No, Elsa. I need it to be you. There's no one else I can trust with this. I don't know who else might be vying for power. Even Pete is suspect, but I know you, and I know you don't want to be in charge. Besides, if it's a trap, you're the only one that I can guarantee will not only be able to make it out alive, but take every single one of them out in the process. I need you, Elsa. Please.”

I never could say no to her. “Okay. I'll do it. I think it's an awful plan, but I'll do it.”

“Good girl.”

Fucking hell, Anna! Don't make me blush in front of Jasmine.

 

~o~

 

Once Dr. Lee and Nurse I-Already-Forgot-Her-Name make it back from coffee, I head out. Apparently the meeting is at six, at a local restaurant. Gotta love the clichés. I want to make sure I arrive early enough to scope the place out, not that I really need to, so I should be getting there around 5:30. That is of course, if I'm not waylaid by some god bitch who seems to have made it her sole mission in life to ruin mine.

“Brother,” Notos coos, stepping out from a nearby alley. I can't say I'm surprised. “I trust you enjoyed the present I left for you.”

“Anna's fine. Clearly you suck at Christmas shopping.” Wow that was an awful line. Wait, is it Christmas? Holy fuck it is. Wow this has been a long week.

“Well then I suppose I'll just have to remedy that after I finish with you.” She takes another step towards me, wobbling slightly. She's definitely not fully recovered from our last fight. I wish I couldn't say the same.

“I'm done with this game, Notos. I'm sick and tired of being misgendered, I'm sick of letting you get away to hurt people I care about, and I am more than done with having my body systematically burnt. It's getting old. So I'm going to kill you.” Hopefully she can't see my hand shaking as I reach for my sword. I shouldn't be as scared as I am. I almost won last time. Hell, if you count her retreat as a surrender then I did win. I can take her. The only problem is that she's the only person who can hurt me, and she's been doing a damn good job of it. I don't know if I can take much more, I'm already covered in injuries from her that show no sign of going away. They might actually never heal. I draw the blade and point it at her neck. “Apparently this grudge match has been going for millennia. Today, it ends.” Much cooler than the Christmas line.

“Yes, it does.” Her hands ignite as she knocks the sword away and leaps for me, her fingers wrapping around my throat, searing the flesh.

I knee her in the crotch. It's a lot more effective on women than the old adage says. Hell, it happened to me shortly after my surgery and I think I spent the night on that floor. “Get off of me!” I manage to knock her to the side and clamber onto her, bringing the blade to bear on her chest and shoving it forward.

She rolls to the side at the last minute, turning the killing blow into a massive gash. The blood ignites as it spurts out, evaporating in little puffs a few inches from her. She bares her teeth and snarls before hurling a wave of fire right at my face. I duck under it and come up swinging the sword in a wide arc.

She jumps back, the metal biting into her arm as she scarcely manages to keep it. “I will end you.” I'm not sure which of us said it. Maybe both.

We fly at each other. Jagged flames in her hand meet my ribcage as the sword in mine buries itself to the hilt in her stomach. We're both a lot slower than in our last two fights. This one is going to be quick and bloody – or at least gruesome for the one of us that can't bleed.

She growls like coals crackling in a fire. I am so sick of her and her fancy dramatic displays of her power. I don't scream like cracking ice. You can make human noises, damn it! I kick her in the shin, then meet her with a left hook to the face from my ice gauntleted fist. I follow up with a few more punches for good measure before I rip the sword out of her and take another swing at her neck.

She blocks it with her forearm. Her hand does not go flying off. That's disappointing. “Boreas.” The cinders that pass for her eyes lock on mine as she talks. “You have killed every last one of our siblings. I will not let you take me too.” Her hand darts toward me and one of those daggers of fire takes my left arm clean off. I swear I just replaced that thing. Fuck that hurts so much more than last time.

She swings for my other arm, but I block it with the sword. I would really be fucked without this thing. Thanks, Hera. You're good people. I’m so glad I didn’t think to give it to Jasmine. I use every last ounce of energy in my body and tackle Notos to the ground, pinning her beneath me. I've got weight and reach on every woman I've ever met, and that includes gods.

I adjust the blade until I can aim it at her throat without letting her out from under me and then I pull it back. “This ends here.” I thrust it downward, my eyes locked on her throat. Then, the fire disappears from it. It doesn't even burn to sit on her anymore.

“Elsa?”

No. My weapon stops an inch from her throat. It can't be. Anna's face looks up at me. Those teal eyes I've spent my life looking into look back into mine. “Anna?”

That smile that had grown from innocent to cynical over the dramatic saga that was our lives contorts, the corners twisting upward into a vicious sneer as her hand flies toward my chest. It ignites again as it tears into me. She claims what was always hers.

The last thing I see, as the light begins to fade, is the love of my life holding my heart.


	12. Notos Giant Annual - Issue 1

“Elsa? No, Elsa, what happened?” I'm holding her heart in my hand as her body lies on top of me, blood pouring onto my hospital gown. Why am I wearing a hospital gown? What the hell is going on? The last thing I remember, I had just sent her off to take back our bank and to send a message doing it. How did I get here? “Elsa, please say something.” I wrap my arms around her, pulling her close. “You can't be dead. I need you.”

This happened the other day too, didn't it? Not Elsa being dead obviously, but I lost time. I was so mad at her that I went out with Susan. I thought maybe I'd just had too much to drink. Holy fuck, that's when she was attacked by Notos. Am I... No, I can't be. I didn't kill her. I didn't attack her. I couldn't have. Why would I? This has to a dream. A horrible horrible dream. Elsa, please just wake up.

I place a finger to her chin, almost convinced that she'll shatter, and pull her lips to me in a gentle kiss. “Please wake up. You're a god. You can't die.”

I swear I feel her heart stir in my hand. Unfortunately, I instantly drop it, so I suppose I'll never know if that kiss could have brought her back. I'm just fucking everything up. I've killed her all over again.

“Elsa!” a voice shouts from somewhere behind me. “You killed her! You monster!”

Instinct carrying me, I manage to roll out from under Elsa just in time to avoid being skewered by a massive shard of ice. “What the hell?”

“You bitch! I can't believe she trusted you. How could you do this to her?” Tears stream down the face of some woman I've never met. She's wearing blue harem pants and a flowy blue shirt. She looks more like a belly dancer than a goddess. Elsa made a new friend?

“What are you talking about? Who the fuck are you? How do you even know Elsa? I didn't kill her, I swear.” I wave my hands in front of me and a ball of fire hurtles towards her. Great, that is definitely not helping my case.

She blocks it with a hastily formed shield. “I'm not buying your act again. You already think I'm just Elsa's little pet! Well I'll show you, this dog has fangs. Wait – no, I mean I'm going to kick your goddamn ass! Like she would. I will avenge my sidekick, damn it.” She hesitates slightly each time she curses. Where the hell did Elsa find this girl?

“What do you mean you're Elsa's pet? How long have I been gone? Did Elsa cheat on me?” I back up. Clearly she's not an enemy. I just need to make her see that I'm not either.

She charges, a sword joining her shield. She lunges at me and I leap to the side, my hand grazing her shield and causing it to melt. So I really do have powers now. “You don't even deserve a trial. You're a monster. You killed your own girlfriend! You lied to her. She would have done anything for you and you killed her! Well I'll kill you!”

I am not going to kill this kid. I already have Elsa's death on my conscience, I'm not going to kill her pet. Though she and I are definitely going to have a talk after I drag her back out of Hell. “I swear that wasn't me. Notos must have been possessing me. The last thing I remember is sending her to take care of the bank. I don't know how long I've been out, but I swear it wasn't me. You have to believe me. I don't want to hurt you.”

“Like I'd believe a word you say! Her blood is literally on your hands.” She kicks at my knee as a mace appears in her hand. I manage to dodge the kick and the following swing, but I'm already slowing. I look down and see blood pouring out onto my burnt and singed gown, along with fire engulfing my body. So I'm injured and my powers are acting on their own. I don't have the time to play with her if I want to avoid bleeding out, and she's never going to believe I'm not trying to kill her if I can't stop my flames from doing just that.

Fine. I hurl fire at both of her weapons then charge at her, tackling her to the ground. While she's stunned from the impact, I slam my forehead into her nose, earning a satisfying crunch. Then rings of fire surround each of her limbs, pinning her there. “They won't touch you unless you move, so hold still and listen to me.”

“My nose,” she sobs. “Elsa just fixed it!”  
“Sorry. I needed to get you to shut up long enough to listen to me.” I manage to make the flames ringing my body to dissipate. Unfortunately, the gown has completely vanished by now, and I'm naked in the middle of town sitting on top of some crazy belly dancer. This is definitely going viral.

She scrunches up her face trying to keep from sniffling. Elsa told me how much that can hurt.

I place a hand on her cheek to steady her and try to pull her nose back into place the way Pete taught us. “Is that better?”

She yelps in pain, but nods. “Yes.” Her voice is still a bit nasally. It's kinda cute. Maybe I can't blame Elsa too much for cheating on me.

“So we can talk now?”

She sniffles and her lower lip protrudes. She really is just a pitiful puppy. “I guess.”

“Okay. First question. When is this? How long have I been out?”

She tilts her head as she considers this. I absentmindedly pet her. My hand was already on her cheek and she's just so pathetic. “You said the last thing you remember was a bank, right? I met Elsa after she murdered everyone in a bank. I attacked her and the fight went about like this. You two are a lot alike.” She giggles. What the fuck is this girl?

“So it's only been a day and Elsa already found a new girl? I might have to bring her back just to kill her again.”

“No, no, no, no, no! I'm straight! I didn't do anything with your girlfriend, I swear.” Her eyes widen as she realizes that there's a naked girl on top of her stroking her hair. “Get off! What are you doing?!” Her face lights up. She is damn adorable.

I climb off of her and clothe myself in fire again. “Is this better?”

She nods.

“Okay. So, next question. You act like we've met. How is that?”

“About an hour ago, you woke up and started talking to us. You sent Elsa to have a meeting with someone, I wasn't too clear on who, and then you lit on fire and charged after her. I tried to chase after you, but I didn't make it in time. If I'd only been faster I could have saved her.” Tears start to stream down her face. How did she manage to get so close to Elsa so quickly?

“It's not your fault.”

“No, it's yours!”

I don't want to believe that. It can't be my fault. Flames clean her blood from my hand. “It wasn't me, damn it! How many times do I have to tell you?” I resist the urge to tighten the bonds. That would only prove her right. “Notos must have possessed me. That would explain so much. I knew that voice in my head couldn't be me.”

“What voice?” She manages to stop crying, but continues sniffling through her damaged nose.

That's it! Now I understand. “It's only been there for a few days. Anytime Elsa and I have had a fight, I've heard it, egging me on, insisting that I was right, that I had to stop her. Oh my god, that's the last thing I remember. I was questioning if I should really have her kill all those people, if I was going too far, if I was just like our father, and the voice was telling me I was right, that I had to stop her, then nothing. The next thing I knew she was on top of me and I was holding her heart in my hand.” Notos really possessed me. How? Why?

“I'm sorry. I know what it's like to have a voice in your head urging you forward.”

Well that's interesting. “You do?” I sit down by her head so I can look into her eyes as we talk.

“Yeah. Ever since I found this bracelet.” She wiggles her arm to indicate it, then winces as she hits the fire rings. “Can you please get rid of these things? I promise I won't attack you again.”

“All right.” I wave my hand and they disappear. Wow, these powers are surprisingly easy to use.

“If you were possessed, why do you still have her powers?” She sits up and pulls her knees to her chin, wrapping her arms around herself.

That's a very good question. Why do I have his powers? If they're so easy to use that waving my hand accidentally sent out fireballs, then there's no way I wouldn't have noticed them before. I search within myself, looking for that voice. Maybe it can answer for itself. Come on out, Notos. You and I need to have a conversation!

There's no answer. Is he gone? “Are you okay?” the girl asks.

“No, not really. I have no idea what's going on. What's your name anyway? I forgot to ask.”

“I'm Jasmine, but you can call me The Ice Queen!” She grins, her sparkling white teeth showing.

“I can see why Notos called you Elsa's pet. It's a much better name.”

Her eyes narrow as she looks down at me. I pet her hair again. “You're adorable. I'm sure you're a very good pet.”

The glare only intensifies. “I thought it was just Notos that was so mean.”

“Oh, I'm very nice. Do you need me to show you?” I bare my teeth to her, my gaze openly looking up and down what little of her body is visible.

She squeaks and backs out of my reach. “No.”

Notos? Can you hear me? I swear if you don't come out right now, I will end you. You killed my girlfriend. I don't care what excuse you offer, I don't care what Boreas did to you, she had nothing to do with it, and you killed her. Notos, answer me!

There's still nothing. It's like he's gone. Maybe it only works when I have doubts about Elsa. I can manage that. Elsa shouldn't have put me in charge. I need to make her take this back. I won't let her force leadership on me.

Nothing. Notos? Hello?! Are you here or not?

So, why do I have his powers? He kept taking over my body, what if I just took over him? What if there isn't Notos anymore because I actually overpowered him? Is that possible? “Jasmine, is the voice in your head always there?”

She continues to eye me suspiciously. “Yeah. Why?”

“Ask it something for me.”

“What?”

I shrug. “Anything.”

“Skaldi, is Anna a creep? She says yes.”

I laugh despite myself. How the hell did Elsa end up with this girl tagging along? “Ask if it can tell if Notos is still inside me?”

“Skaldi, is Notos still in her? She says she has no idea. If she'd known there was someone else there in the first place, she would've warned me about you.”

That's fair. “Well Notos isn't replying to me. I'm starting to wonder if I killed him. Does she know if that's possible?”

Jasmine pauses for a moment, as if listening. “She has no idea. She doesn't really know the Greek gods too well. Elsa is the first one she'd met. She thinks that you two are both dangerous though and that I should stay away from you. She can be a little overprotective. She says she's not overprotective, she just doesn't want to be stuck in a museum for another century and that she kinda likes me. Aw, I like you too, Skaldi.”

Well, great. That wasn't helpful. Notos, if you don't answer right now, and I find out you're still alive, I swear you will suffer more than you could ever imagine. I will make you wish that you'd pissed off Zeus instead. If you think that Prometheus had it bad, you'll be wishing you were him before I'm even halfway done with you.

No response. Well, that settles it. Either he's an idiot or he's gone. I'll just have to assume he's gone. Maybe he left some sort of sign. I close my eyes and try to focus. Anything. He lived inside of me for days, he has to have left something!

I can't find it. “Let's go back to Elsa’s and my place. I need some clothes and to formulate a plan, and you're far too useful for me to let you out of my sight.” I rise to my feet.

“What do you mean I'm useful?” She stands, but continues to keep her distance.

“Well you're a good little pet who cares about her Mistress.”

Her eyes widen.

“You have ice powers and can hold your own in a fight. What the hell do you think I mean?”

 

~o~

 

Once we arrive back at the apartment, Jasmine takes a moment to look around. “So this is where Elsa lives?” She begins analyzing the random bricabrac, most of which is mine.

“If you're looking for Elsa's stuff, check for the guns hidden all over the place.” That'll be a fun little scavenger hunt for her.

“Okay!” She actually does so. Is she really in love with Elsa? I might just have to kill her.

I brew up some coffee and take a seat in the kitchen. This is going to be a long day. I have to bring Elsa back. I will not have her death weighing on me while I try to run the empire she forced on me. How do I do it? Notos, please, just tell me.

The smell of the chair beneath me burning stirs me from my thoughts. Right, I still need clothes. I grab a green skirt with a grey shirt and feel substantially more human. Shame though, I like these clothes, I'm not looking forward to having to light them on fire.

When I return the coffee is cool enough to drink. Actually, it may still be burning, temperature hasn't really been hitting me right the last few days. I wonder if that's why Elsa's various ice toys haven't bothered me.

“Is this all of them?” Jasmine is holding an armful of guns. I honestly didn't realize there were that many in here. Elsa, how paranoid were you – are you, damn it. You're not gone yet, I'll make sure of that.

“Yeah, I think so. Now put them back so Elsa won't kill you once I get her back.”

“Why does she need so many? She kept insisting that she wasn't a bad person, but I just don't know why a good person would need an entire arsenal in their apartment.” She stares into the pile of guns.

Wow, Elsa, lying to her already? We gave up any right to be good. “In our line of work, we make enemies. Elsa liked to make sure that those enemies couldn't harm me. She always wanted to keep me safe.” I just wish I could've done the same for her.

“But killing is wrong. It doesn't matter what they did, you can't just kill someone.” She sets the guns down on the table and slumps in a chair, staring into them.

“Weren't you trying to kill me earlier?” I'm unsure what to do with her, but I place a hand on her shoulder, slowly enough that she can stop me if she needs to. She's clearly still dealing with that whole lesbian thing, and I'd rather not trigger her internalized homophobia when we have more important things to be doing. I went through enough of that myself when Elsa came out to me.

“Well, yeah, but you killed Elsa.”

I stare at her waiting for her to realize the contradiction. She looks back at me, her head quirked in confusion. Poor puppy. “I thought killing was always wrong.”

It finally hits her. She blinks. “Oh. No. It is wrong. But then it was --” she stops. “I thought you deserved it.”

“Morality isn't that black and white.” Neither is sexuality, but we'll have that conversation later.

“Yes it is!” Her gaze falls back to the guns as her finger taps on Elsa's old 9mm. She killed her first man with that gun. Wow our history is fucked. “It has to be. There's good and there's evil, and that's how it is!”

She always did like them naive. Does Elsa miss me being more like that? Well, if so she shouldn't have made me the don. That sure as hell cemented my cynicism. “How old are you?”

Her eyes dart back to me before returning to the weapons. “Eighteen.”

“Live with your folks?”

She nods. “My dad really is a good man, no matter what the papers are saying. He taught me everything.”

Nope, I do not care about her story enough for that tangent. I just need to get her to understand us well enough that I can use her to help me. “Right, so he taught you morality. You haven't even really seen the world yet.” I sound so old. We're only three years older than her, just a lot less sheltered. “Things aren't always as simple as your parents make them seem. Hell, that's why we killed our father, he didn't teach us too well at all.”

I laugh as Jasmine stares at me, her eyes widening. That distracted her at least. “What?”

“We were adopted. Long story.”

She looks like her eyes might pop out of her head. “Huh?”

“We can talk about all of that after we bring Elsa back.”

“We can bring her back? What? How? Why didn't you say that earlier?”

I smirk. I thought that might make a difference. “So you'll help me?”

“Of course I will. I need her back.” She pauses, likely making sure that what she said wasn't too gay. “How can we save her?”

“We're going to Hell. Well, Hades. We just need to find how. Elsa's a Greek god and so am I. I'm certain she'll be there. She's already met Hera, we just need to find Hades. How hard can it be?”

Her face lights up. “We can really bring her back? I'll do whatever you need. We can do this. Should I go ask around? Do I need to fight another god?”

“No. We need to read.”

I wait for the crestfallen look I would expect from an overactive puppy when told she has to sit still and do hours of research. Instead she grins. “I have so many mythology books! Want to go to my place?”

Fuck. Do I really need to go to some wanna-be straight girl’s parents’ house? Hi, this is the girlfriend of the girl I have a crush on, she's the leader of a mafia family. Isn't that cool? How's business stuff? Stocks? “I can just order the books online. Everything is digital. No reason to bother your parents.”

“He even has a few classic ones in Greek. Like from the 20th century, not anything from Ancient Greece. Other than that vase, but I don't think that would help.” She just wants so badly to be helpful.

“Do you speak Greek?”

“No. Notos doesn't give you that power?”

I'm not sure. I try to think of Greek words. “I haven't checked before, I'm pretty new to this thing. Does – what was it, Skaldi? Does she let you speak Norwegian or read runes?”

She turns her face down, facing Elsa's old pistol again. “Well, no.”

Then why did you expect Notos to? She looks like she's about to cry. God damn it. We don't have time to cry. Well, maybe we do, she is likely there for eternity, but who knows what she's going through. “All right, you go grab the stuff from your father's. I'll give you some cash, you can take a taxi. Gimme a second” I get up and head to our bedroom. I find Elsa's old go bag from back when she wanted to run away with me buried in the back of our closet. I'm not sure where my wallet is, I'll have to ask Notos about that. “Hurry back.”

This seems to cheer her up a bit as a faint smile tugs at her lips. “Will that really help?”  
Probably not. “Of course it'll help. I need you on this. We are not letting Elsa stay down there for so much as a second longer than she has to.”

She nods, the smile taking up more and more of her face until she raises her head back up to face me with a full-on grin. “You're right. We don't have time to feel sorry for ourselves. We have to save Elsa.” She gives me a massive hug, cracking my spine. Fuck, I didn't even know it was hurting, that feels a lot better, who needs a chiropractor when you have a super powered puppy? I pat her back and send her on her way before buying an e-book of every single text with even the slightest mention of Greek mythology. Thank Zeus for browsers saving payment information.

By the time she returns home – to Elsa's and my home, we are not keeping her – I've buried myself in research. My fourth coffee sits next to me, recently reheated by my shiny new powers, as I skim through some boring professor's life's work. It's dreadful, his writing has to be the most dry uninteresting thing I've ever read, but if anything is going to have the exact location of the entrance to Hades, it would be this. People went there all the time. His retelling of Persephone's story should have had it, but of course it didn't, it just had a bunch of sexist drivel that made the story sound even worse than usual. At least the last one I read made them have a lesbian relationship.

She drops a stack of books at my feet before sitting on the floor in front of them and sorting through them. “Where did it go? I know I had it.” She knocks one off of the couch as she pulls a massive hardcover out from under it. “There we go.” She turns around to lean back against the couch as she pores through the book. At least the puppy knows her place. She's not allowed on furniture.

I tap her head with my foot as I read through Orpheus's tale for the fifth time today. My third skimming through of yet another copy of the Odyssey hadn’t had any answers. “Thank you.” I'm shocked to hear the words leave my mouth. This crazy girl tried to kill me earlier and she has a crush on my girlfriend, but she is the only other person that cares about Elsa and we need to save her. Maybe Pete would help? But no, he has enough to deal with, Elsa would have turned to him to help run the family while I was gone. I should let him know that I'm okay, but it can wait until I can tell him that Elsa's okay as well.

So, if I'm not turning to him then it's just Jasmine and me.

“I’m happy to help.” She stretches and glances at my cup. “Is that hot chocolate?”

“No, it's coffee.”

“Do you have hot chocolate?”

I roll my eyes. Children. “Yes, we do. We have some salted caramel packets in the cupboard and we have some chocolate chips you can melt if you want to make it from scratch.”

She chews her lip as she considers the two options. “I've never had salted caramel before. Will you make it for me?”

“No. Go make it yourself, I'm trying to find a way to Hell.” I turn back to my computer. Orpheus turns back to his wife. The story ends with no mention of any useful landmarks or a far more useful specific city. What am I doing? If Hades was this easy to find then people would go there all the time. Notos wake up! I find a tear threatening to spill from my eye and shake my head. “The Greek Myths: The Complete and Definitive Edition” pops up on my screen and I skim through the table of contents. This is going to be a long night. “Make me one too.”  
“Okay,” she agrees, her voice still chipper despite my snapping at her. I actually feel bad, don't I? I do not need to make her hot chocolate, she is an adult no matter how pitiful of a little puppy she may be.

By the time I meet Cerberus for the dozenth time I'm barely able to keep my eyes open. My stomach hurts a lot. It's like someone shoved a sword through it or something. Maybe a quick nap would help.

Jasmine hands me a cup of cocoa overflowing with whipped cream and marshmallows. I don't think we even had marshmallows, where the hell did she find them? “Need a pick-me-up?”

“I do.” I blow on the drink before remembering that I have fire powers and just take a sip of it. It's really good. This isn't our caramel mix. Did she actually make it from scratch?

“I couldn't find the caramel stuff, I hope it's okay.” She smiles at me as she sits down on the floor again, wrapping a blanket around her and chilling the cup with her ice powers. Why does she need a blanket?

“It's actually amazing. Are you cold though? I mean don't you have ice powers.”

She shrugs, looking oddly bashful. “I'm always cold. My powers work really differently than you two's. The cold doesn't really hurt me, Skaldi makes sure of that, but I'm always cold.”

No. This is dumb. No. I wrap an arm around her, letting the warmth of the Northern wind flow through me as I continue to scroll through the book with my free hand. “That help?”

She pulls my arm snug about her. “It helps a lot. Thank you.”

I refuse to acknowledge that I could possibly be blushing. Elsa, we are kicking her out as soon as you're back. Where do you even find these girls?

Odysseus's journey into the underworld begins to blur. I force my eyes open as I stare at the words on the page. He's entering Hades, it's useful, I need to focus. The words fizzle out again, replaced by an image I can't quite decipher. I take a sip of the hot chocolate and notice that Jasmine has fallen asleep with her head lolling against my hip, snoring lightly. The blanket and my arm are both wrapped about her as tightly as can be, but she still shivers. Poor thing.

I can stay up. I just have a couple mortal wounds to recover from, that's nothing four cups of coffee and some hot chocolate can't fix. The cup is suddenly empty. Shit. I don't want to disturb Jasmine. As much as she should be researching, I've already put her through Hell. I'll just power through it, it's fine. Odysseus –

 _Boreas shoves his blade into my brother's heart. I can see the sneer on his face as he turns to me, Zephyrus's blood still warm as it cl_ _i_ _ngs to him. Eurus's mouth tries to form words, but none escape as he slumps over, tears in his eyes as he watches me, silently pleading for my help. I can barely stand. My body is spent. I will never recover from these wounds, but I have to stop him. I lunge forward with all that I have only for Boreas, my dear brother, my hated enemy, to slam the heel of his foot into my face before bringing the blade to bear on me. I fall to the ground and see it plunging towards me, seeming to move at a glacial pace. I need a way out. I can't save our siblings, I can't stop him, all I can do is run. I can't even do that, my legs refuse to work._

 _I will all of my being into the wind, the hot air blowing Boreas back, his blade colliding only with the ground. Instead of taking the chance to riposte, the wind takes my body with it. Not quite my body, it takes all of me. I seem to dissipate until I'm nothing but my own power. I float, as if_ _weightless_ _, looking for a way to return – a way to avenge my brothers._

I jerk awake, sweat coating my body. I guess I can't claim I was too hot anymore. What the hell was that?

“I'll save you, Elsa,” Jasmine murmurs. That girl is crushing hard.

I'll save you, Elsa. I will. And now I have a way.

Notos?

Still no answer, but there's no mistake. That was Notos's memory. He's not completely gone. He has to have a way into Hades, or at least a way to Mt. Olympus. Anything that can get me a conference with Hades or Persephone will do. I just need someone who can help me get to Elsa. I don't care what I have to give up in exchange, I'll do it. Elsa will come home with me.

So, what do I do? Should I go back to sleep? How do I guide his memories? Should I go to some therapist and be put in a trance? No, if I do that then Notos might take back over, I'm not willing to go under, and I'm certainly not willing to try to channel him. There's no way he'd ever bring her back.

I close my eyes, trying to will myself back to the dream. If I can just get back into Notos's memories then maybe I can find my way to where I need to be.

Jasmine mutters something indecipherable and bites my hand. I thwack her on the head and roll over, burying my face against the couch cushion. She can freeze if she's going to be a bad puppy.

 _Brother_ _,_ _w_ _hy? You meant the world to me, and now you've ruined everything. Why would you kill them?_

I jerk awake. These fuckers are more incestuous than we are. This is getting me nowhere. Elsa, what should I do? I need to find you. “Jasmine?”

She looks up at me, a spot of drool shining on her chin. “Hrm?”

"Can you get us to Greece?”

“My father doesn't have his private plane anymore, but I could buy us some plane tickets.” Her mouth opens wide in a yawn, her teeth glistening at me in front of her uvula. She really is a superhero. I can just see her saying ‘And remember kids, always brush your teeth. And stay in school.” Elsa and I should break her in. Corrupting her sounds fun.

“I was just hoping I wouldn't have to go unarmed.” The stupidity of that statement hits me. “Oh, right, I have fire powers. Who needs regular fire power?” I hate myself for that pun. “All right, buy them. We're going on the next flight.”

“Did you find out where it is?” The sleep seems gone from her eyes as she grins at me.

I almost hate to disappoint that face. “No. But I might be able to. I just need to be closer, if I can just find some sort of trigger then maybe -- I don't know. I just know that sitting here isn't helping. We have to do something.”

She pulls her phone out of a pocket in her costume. “All right, gimme a minute and we can get going.”

 

~o~

 

_I pass over an endless expanse of hills, with only memory and the barest hint of a trail guiding me. In a thicket of trees, I find my goal, a small wooden cabin radiating an unmistakable warmth. I make my way inside, the door doing little to stop my formless being. I find the goddess I seek._

“ _Demeter, I need your help,” I gasp, my words nothing more than the rustling of the wind. I need_ _protection,_ _I need food, and I could greatly use my pain lessened._

“ _Of course, Notos. What has happened to you?”  The corn she sets out provides enough sustenance to allow me to solidify a bit more._

“ _Boreas has betrayed our family. I need your protection under the law of hospitality as I recover.”_

_She nods. “You've already eaten of my food. My hospitality is extended to you.”_

Jasmine shakes my shoulder. “We're here! Look!” Her finger flies in front of my face as she extends it toward the window. “It's so pretty! Look at it, Anna, look!”

The city of Athens rolls along below us. A massive array of architecture can already be seen as the new, the old, and the very old mesh together in the streets. It looks so different from when Notos fled past it. Wait, how do I remember that? Is it bleeding over? Is he healing? How long will I be able to keep my body?

There's no time to waste. I know where he found Demeter! That's all I need. If she's still there, then she can direct me to Hades. We're coming for you, Elsa.

After the plane lands, we arrange for a car rental and I study a map of Ancient Greece on my phone, comparing it to the one on my GPS. It's tough to tell, I only caught a glimpse, but I think I know the general path he took. We might have to search nonstop for a few days, but we can do this.

Jasmine grabs me by the hand to pull me over to a little cafe inside the airport. “It looks so yummy!”

We look like a couple. She's not my girlfriend. This is so weird. I feel my face heating. I calm myself before it actually lights on fire. I'd rather not deal with airport security right now. “It does look good.” I buy us each a pastry and drag her back to the rental car.

“Thank you.” Her smile is outlined in powdered sugar.

“Wipe your face. You look like a child.”

The little Mini Cooper putters along as the city falls away, revealing endless fields of green. That's closer at least. I know it was Northeast of Athens. I wish I could say more than that.

“Jasmine?” I find myself asking.

“Yes?” She turns to me, her gaze leaving the window for the first time in half an hour. I wonder if she'd stick her head out if I rolled it down?

“What are your plans for when we save Elsa? Are you just going back to your father's and superheroing?”

“That and college, yeah. Why?”

“No reason. Was just wondering.” Our apartment doesn't even allow pets. What am I thinking?

I remain silent as I study the countryside, looking for any familiar sign. Jasmine mostly respects this, only occasionally exclaiming about something beautiful. I suppose I can't blame her, Greece really is amazing.

Then I see it. The same hill that I flew past in my dream. It's changed plenty, there's new houses, less sheep, a road circling it, and the little trees near the top have grown to dwarf their surroundings, but it's still unmistakable. There's the same hills around it, the same flowers blooming in an almost perfect path up the side, and now that the window's down, the same gentle scent of lilac. I'm almost there. I just hope Demeter is still here.

I pull over to the side of the road and dash out without a word. Jasmine wakes up and chases after me, I can hear her calling my name, but I run up the hill, following that trail of red flowers. At the top of the hill I look out and, while it's far from solid, or even straight, there are dots of the flowers here and there, marking the path. They'd be impossible to follow from the road. We'll be walking from here.

“What is it?” Jasmine asks, panting for breath as she catches up to me.

“Demeter.” I don't offer any more explanation as I run down the other side of the hill, only to climb the next, keeping my eye open for the odd sign. We follow it, keeping conversation to a minimum as we wind our way through the idyllic countryside. I suppose there couldn't be a more picturesque location to hunt down a goddess in search of a way to bring your girlfriend back to life.

Three hours later, we almost run headlong into a tree. I know I could've flown there. I would like to believe it's that I didn't want to advertise my presence, but I know that it was so that Jasmine could keep up. She's useful. I'd hate to walk into this alone and unprepared. Jasmine prods the tree with her finger. It seems solid enough. It wasn't like this in my dream. Where's the cabin?  
“Demeter!” My voice carries on the wind for a solid mile. “Demeter come out here! Please, it's Notos, I need your help!” She has to still be here. I don't have any other hope. I need Elsa back. Please, Demeter.

“What's she doing here?” a voice asks, seemingly from nowhere. “I hardly recall you being the like to go off cavorting with a Norse goddess. Has our dear Notos finally found love? And what is that skin you're wearing? It looks like it's ready to drop dead at any second.” A beautiful woman walks straight out of the tree. Gods sure do love being showy, don't they?

“Some morphine would be lovely for that, Poppy Mother,” I offer. Notos would expect that, right? He wouldn't call it morphine though, fuck. I should've said milk of poppy, or just shut up and gotten straight to my request.

“I'm sure you could use it. Well, I've extended hospitality to you when you were in worse shape, I suppose it would be rude of me to withhold it now. What of your companion? Do you expect me to look after her as well?” She gestures towards Jasmine.

Before Jasmine can strike a pose and introduce herself as some hero of justice, I explain, “She helped me get back here. As you can see I'm hardly in any condition to do so alone. I'm in her debt, I would appreciate her receiving the same kindness you extend to me.” I hope I'm getting this right. I didn't have much time to learn how to talk like Notos, I only had those few brief dreams.

She nods and the tree turns into a small wooden hut. “Very well. Come in.”

We do as we're bid. Jasmine's eyes look ready to pop out of her head as she examines the house that wasn't there a second ago. “How did you do that?”

“Can you not?” Demeter laughs. “It's barely even a parlor trick.”

“You know how the Aesir are,” I explain, silently willing Jasmine to keep her mouth shut, “they've never been the type for subtlety.”

“Now isn't that the truth.” Demeter offers us both a seat around a cozy table with a kettle of tea already set out, before taking one herself. She pours us each a cup. “So Notos, I know you didn't come here just for the poppy, what is it that I can do for you?”

No sense beating around the bush. “I'm looking for Persephone.”

She pauses mid-pour, leaving my cup half-filled. “Whyever are you looking for her? You know she's not going to be back for another three months.”

“I know. I was hoping I could meet her in Hades, I just need you to point the way.” Please say Notos wouldn't know it.

She tops off my drink. “You wish to go to Hades? What sort of nonsense is this about? No one would ever want to see my dear brother. It would be like you wanting to see Boreas.”

“That's actually why I'm going there.” I take a sip of my tea to force myself to appear calm. She doesn't need to know how desperate I am. “I killed him. I killed Boreas. Finally. Only, now I see that all I've done is torn apart my family even more. Without him, there's only me. The world needs more than a single Anemoi. I can never forgive him for what he did to our family, but I need him back. He's still my brother, and I shouldn't have slain him.” There's no way she'll actually believe this. It doesn't even make sense. Of course, Notos would still want him dead, that's been his goal for a goddamn millenium.

She drinks her tea as she studies me. “Perhaps you do need closure. I highly doubt that that rat bastard will release your brother, but I think talking to him, maybe asking him why he killed them, will do you some good. I'll show you the way.”

It worked? “Thank you.”

“You will?” Jasmine, just keep your mouth shut and look like the most intimidating puppy you can manage to be!

“I will. But first, let's see to that milk of the poppy. I would hate to have you pass out from the pain of your injuries on the way to the underworld.”

The morphine does its work. I'm woozy, but the wounds I've been ignoring the best I could for the past day are finally starting to sting a bit less. My guts didn't seem to be in any serious danger of spilling out, but now they don't feel like it either.

She takes us out of her cabin and leads us along a narrow path, that I swear wasn't there a moment ago. Why do they even need so many illusions? “It's a treacherous path,” she says, watching her foot as she places it on a sliver of rock outstretched over a mountain that juts up out of nowhere. The hills behind us have vanished. “Only step exactly where I do.”

We follow her precisely. Even Jasmine manages to rein in her exuberance enough to be cautious. The mountain seems to tower over a vast emptiness. I try to avoid looking down to see how accurate that may be. Fortunately, she seems to know the way by heart – likely from centuries of visiting her daughter or walking her there. We're able to make our way with no real difficulty.

We step off of the last rock into a dense forest. I'm not sure we're even in Greece anymore. The air smells of musk and decay. We make our way past gnarled old trees, the branches of which block out the sun -- if there even is one -- to find our way to a colossal oak door. I'm surprised to see that it lacks the inscription “Abandon All Hope Ye Who Enter Here.” I suppose it isn't exactly Hell we're heading toward.

“You need only step through this door, and you'll enter his domain. I only hope that you'll be able to walk back out.” Demeter's voice quivers slightly. Even now, it must still be an emotional subject for her.

“What door?” Jasmine asks, looking between the two of us.

“The big wooden one, right there.” I point at it. It has to be fifty feet high and ten feet wide, there's no way she could miss it.

“I just see more forest.” She stares at me, her brow furrowing.

“I suppose you don't belong there,” Demeter answers. “This isn't the door to Hel, after all.”

Jasmine kicks the ground, her lower lip threatening to protrude into a full pout. “I'm not letting you go in alone. There has to be another way!”

“I'm afraid there isn't.” Demeter places a hand on Jasmine's shoulder, and I find that I actually feel a little bad tricking her. She seems surprisingly decent, especially for a Greek god.

“It'll be okay.” I kiss Jasmine's cheek. I have no idea what that was about. “I'll be back soon.” Without bothering to wait for a reply, I push the massive door open. It's a lot easier than I expected, it puts up almost no resistance, almost like it's made of solid air. When I step through, I'm not surprised to see that the environment has changed yet again. I am, however, surprised to find that there's no door behind me.

I guess there's no going back. That's fine, I wasn't going to do so without Elsa anyway. I take a deep breath of the rotting air and continue on the path. It's a cobblestone one, winding down through a dark chasm with no visible walls or ceiling. The ground around it seems to be made of ordinary rock, but I've no desire to test it.

With only an hour of walking, I find myself on one side of a great river, from which emanates a horrifying sound. This must be the Styx. I'd always wanted to see it.

A small dock protrudes into the water a few feet off to the side. On it, a lone figure stands, his features entirely concealed by a cloak. When I reach him, he holds out his hand, palm up. Apparently Charon isn't one for small talk.

I didn't have time to procure a gold coin. I hope that a two Euro coin is good enough. The second I drop it into his hand, his skeletal fingers close around it and he gestures toward his ferry.

I guess I'm in. Elsa, I'm coming.

The boat glides over the glistening water as hands reach out towards us, desperate for something I'd rather not fathom. The ferryman ignores them, so I try to do the same, but I'd be lying if I said my skin didn't crawl at the sight of them.

I think the most horrifying thing was the way neither the boat nor the bodies seemed to make any sound as they moved in the water. The water itself made noises, the dead made their ephemeral moans, but there was no splash or slosh as they moved through the waters of the Styx. I want to try throwing something in to see if it would make a sound, but something tells me that doing so would be a very bad idea.

The surreality of the situation gives me enough to contemplate to pass the short time that the trip takes. The ship suddenly stops as Charon climbs from it and extends his hand to me.

I stare down at it. I'm not sure if he's asking for another coin or if he's offering to help me out of the boat. I decide to take his hand. It appears that I chose right, as he hauls me onto the dock.

Rather than bid me farewell, he simply appears back in his boat and it returns from whence it came, sailing backwards. He faces forward, rowing in reverse, what would be his face staring into my eyes.

I rip my gaze from him and focus on the path before me. There is still only one road, so I follow it. Hades or Oz, I guess it's all the same.

It takes what feels like days, though was probably closer to five or six hours, before I reach another room. A gold door, covered in bas reliefs of the deeds of some god or other, opens into a seemingly endless dining room. At the table, sits a lone woman. Did I go off the path? This doesn't look like where the dead would normally be?

“Good morning, Notos.” The woman turns to me. “Have you come to join me for breakfast?”  
How long have I been walking? Isn't taking food in Hades a bad idea? “I'm afraid not.” My stomach protests. Apparently even in the underworld, I still digest and grow hungry. It's just not worth the risk. I refuse to be stuck here any longer than I need to be.

“I suppose I can't blame you. It hardly went well for me when I first ate here.”  
Wait. It can't be this easy. “Persephone?”

“In the flesh. Has it been so long that you don't recognize me?” She skewers a strawberry crepe on a fork and slowly brings it to her lips, chewing as she studies me.

Shit. Do I double down on my lie now that I've already fucked it up so badly? No, that wouldn't make sense. That might just end up with me leading Boreas back to Earth instead of Elsa. “I'm not Notos.”

She continues to chew as she considers this. “Then who are you? You're not one of the newly dead, I would know, and you have his powers, his very essence.”

“He possessed me. First it didn't go well for me or the people I care about, then it didn't go well for him.”

She laughs, sending a piece of strawberry flying toward me. “Notos is dead! He didn't have a coin to pay. I can tell now. I should have noticed that before. It's so odd. So much of him is left in you, there's scarcely anything to wither away in the Styx. What is your name?”

“I'm Anna Arlotti.”

“Arlotti.” She chews another bite. “Oh, there's another Arlotti here. She just arrived a day ago.”

“I know. I need to take her home. Notos had no right to take her life. Especially not with my hands. Please, just let me bring her back.” Tears begin to fall from my eyes. I decide to go with it and drop to me knees. I'll prostrate myself, I'll beg, I'll plead, I'll do anything in the world if it will bring Elsa back to me.

“Why would you want that?” She continues eating her breakfast as my tears fall onto her floor.

I try to collect myself, but fail miserably. “Because she's everything to me,” I wail.

“Well, I suppose it wouldn't be the first. I don't know that she'd be likely to agree though.” Another bite meets her lips and she closes her eyes as she savors the flavor.

“She will.” I grit my teeth and force myself back to my feet, tears still streaming down my face. “Of course she will.”

“Well, if you're so sure of that, then okay. You can take Elsa back on one condition.” She sets her silverware down on her plate and stands to face my fully.

“No looking back?”

She giggles. “I'm afraid it's nothing so easy. She has to leave voluntarily.”

Before I can ask how that's supposed to be difficult, she vanishes. Or rather, the entire room vanishes. In its place, I find myself in a field of flowers, where the wind gently caresses my skin, and I can hear laughter over the sound of a waterfall. I turn to take a look around, and see men and women who all seem to be in utter bliss. They have a food that smells like all of my favorite meals mixed into one and yet somehow better, liquor -- the mere scent of which is enough to intoxicate me -- and even the air itself seems to be full of some sort of drug, as everyone is smiling and lying about in a stupor. It takes less than a second to find Elsa.

When she spots me, my heart stops. Her lazy smile morphs into something truly frightening. She's never looked at me that way before. She didn't even look at our father that way when she killed him. It's like I'm less than nothing to her, and suddenly I understand what Persephone meant.


	13. Two Pissed Off Gods and a Happy Ending

 Anna? “The Hell are you doing here?” I'm not sure if it still counts as a pun when we're basically in Heaven. I know, I was shocked that I got in too. Apparently it works really differently in Greek mythology.

“Elsa, I'm here to bring you home.” She walks towards me, her steps hesitant, a hand on her heart as a few tears start to fall from her eyes. Of course her hand is on her heart. It was just on mine – well I have no idea how long it's been, but it was on mine.

“No thanks. I'm good.” I take a massive sip from a wine skin that is always conveniently nearby whenever I wish it. Being dead has its perks.

She lets out a blubbering sob. “I swear it wasn't me, Elsa. I didn't. I wouldn't.”

I stand, towering over her, and take the few remaining steps between us in a single stride. “You did. You ripped my fucking heart out, Anna. In more ways than one. Now get the fuck out of here, or I'll make you.”

“I'm not going anywhere without you. I love you, Elsa. You're everything to me.” She looks up at me, her eyes unblinking as she meets mine. I don't care how much I've always loved staring into those sea-colored things. The pouting isn't doing it for me.

I let out a derisive snort of a laugh. “Right. I kill the people I love all the time. Your story would be a lot more believable if you hadn't dropped the facade there at the end. I saw you, Anna. I saw the real you. Right before you killed me.”

Her eyes shut as she tries to blink away her tears. “I'm not Notos.”

“The hell you aren't!” A blade appears in my hand and I hold it to her throat. “Leave. Now. If you don't, you're dead.” Wait, is she already dead? How did she get here? Can I still kill her? Now is not the time to show weakness in the face of my greatest enemy. I still can't believe it. All those years, biding her time, just so she could get her revenge when my powers finally manifested. I should've known. There's no other reason she would have stayed with me through everything.

“Do it.” Her eyes lock on mine again, tears pouring out unheeded. “Do it and I'll come right back and spend eternity with you. I don't care how it happens, I just care that I'm with you. I love you so fucking much.”

Do it. My hand won’t move. She deserves to die for what she did to me. “Why?” Why what? Why should I kill her? Why won't my hand move? What am I even asking her.

“Why what, Elsa?”

Damn it, I was hoping she could tell me. “Why did you do it? I thought you loved me.” My voice cracks as tears stream down my face. I can't do it. I can't kill her. No matter how monstrous she is, no matter what she did to me, she's still the woman I love. I toss the weapon to the side and it immediately melts into a puddle of water.

She stands on her toes to kiss me. I resist, refusing to budge an inch. She places the kiss on my collarbone instead. “I do love you, Elsa. I didn't do it. It was Notos. He'd been possessing me. I don't know for how long, but it was the second time it had happened. I just have gaps with no memories of what happened. This time, it apparently lasted for two days. I swear I had no idea. If I'd have known, I would've done something to keep me far away from you. I would never hurt you, not if I had any control over it.”

That can't be true. I saw her face. It was Anna. It wasn't just a trick, it wasn't just her body, that was Anna, I know it. “I can't believe that. I know what I saw, Anna.”

Her hand meets my cheek, caressing it, urging me to bend down so she can kiss me. “It was my body, but I wasn't there. As soon as she killed you, I was able to fight free. Persephone said that Notos is dead. I killed him. I avenged you, Elsa. I'll take you to him if you need proof.”

“Fine. Take me to him. I do need the proof. I can't believe you, otherwise.”

Her eyes clench shut, as tears flood them, spilling out. “Okay. If that's what you need. Persephone said I can take you out of here, and that he's stuck at the river Styx. It's on the way. We can find him, and you can ask him if he's the one that did it, and if I knew anything.”

“All right.” I finish off the wine skin. It will just refill itself, but I'm going to need some serious intoxication if I'm going to be spending this much time with my murderer. “Lead the way.”

She turns and pauses. I can almost hear her biting her lip as she tries to figure out how she got here. She doesn't turn back, or even say a word, but I know her, I could always read her like a book. At least I thought I could. If she's telling the truth, and she certainly seems to be, then maybe I still can, but I need something more. I love her, and I want so badly to just believe her, but it's so hard to shake the image of the woman I love holding my heart in her hand as the world fades away.

“I don't know if I can,” she finally says.

Of course. She can't prove it at all. She did do it. “What do you mean?”

“Persephone said that you had to leave of your own will. Maybe just wanting to go to the Styx to see him isn't enough. She did say it wouldn't be easy.” A sharp crack of a laugh falls from her lips, as tears begin to flow again.

She’s laughing? She really has lost it. “I'm not going to just say that I'll leave. I'm here in paradise, why would I want to go back with you?”

She winces as she turns to me again. That clearly hurt. “If I did it, why would I come here to get you?”

I had been wondering that. “To torture me. You likely thought I got off too easily. If you take me away, maybe you can make me suffer forever, instead of having an eternity of ease and luxury.”

She bites her lip again, her gaze falling to the ground, studying the field of white flowers. “Jasmine.”

“What?” Is she calling the flowers jasmines? I don't know what jasmine normally looks like. No, that's silly, I'm sure she means the puppy. What does Jasmine have to do with anything? If she really wasn't there that whole time, then she wouldn't even know who Jasmine was. That just proves it all the more.

“Jasmine can tell you. She's waiting just outside the gate to Hades. She helped me do all of this, because she knew – eventually – that I wasn't the one who killed you. Leave with me, talk to her, and we can even still see Notos on the way, just promise that you'll come with me. Please, just believe me, Elsa. I love you.” She takes in a shuddering breath as she looks up at me, tear-filled eyes silently pleading.

Okay. Say yes. Do it. Come on, Elsa. What's the worst that can happen? You get tortured forever? You've been through worse. I can't force the words out. I only shake my head.

She falls to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably. “Please, Elsa. I can't go on without you. You're my everything. I need you.”

“Anna.” That's it. I don't comfort her, I don't touch her, I just say her name; it's all I can manage.

She looks up, her tears and sobs slowing enough that she can talk. “What can I do? Every ounce of proof I could provide requires us walking out of here together. I'll do anything.” Her hand slides into her pocket, as the spark of an idea glimmers in her eye. “I can't give you proof, not until you decide you're willing to accept it enough that you'll come with me, but I can give you a big romantic gesture if that will help at all. I had it on me when Notos took over, so I'm not sure where the ring is, was kinda hoping it would just magically be in here, but Elsa, I need you to know that I want to spend the rest of eternity with you. Marry me. Please.” She picks a nearby flower and bends the stem so that the flower acts as a makeshift gem on an oversized ring and holds it out to me.

Well, fuck. “Propose again when we're back home and I might say yes.”

She bursts into a grin, sniffling as she wipes the remaining tears from her eyes. “So you'll come home?”

I nod and take her hand, pulling her to her feet. “I will. I'm not ready to commit to anything more, but I'll leave with you.”

A hole in the air opens up a few feet away from us. “I guess this is the way out.” She lets go of my hand and leads the way. I think she might be scared that it would count that as dragging me along. This has to be consensual. I step through, followed just after by her. She throws her arms around me. “Oh thank you thank you thank you thank you.”

We're standing in a featureless cobblestone road, almost imperceptibly slanted on a gradual slope, somehow lit up in an almost black void. “Which way?”

“I guess we go up.” She gestures, pointing along the road, and starts the trek, reaching back for my hand.

I don’t take it, but I follow after her, already wondering if I made the right choice.

She tells me she loves me at least a dozen times as we walk. I'm not ready to return it, but I know I still do. I almost say it a few times, but I manage to stop myself. I need to see something first, anything to corroborate her story. I need to know that she isn't the one who killed me.

After a couple hours of walking, we arrive at a river. I remember crossing it just the other day. Notos should be here. “Should I make a boat?” I ask.

“No. I don't know how that might work here. We should get Charon to give us a ride across if we can. Maybe he can take us directly to Notos.”

So she's not trying to get out of it. That's a good sign at least. A boat hits the dock. I hadn't even noticed it cross. A man completely concealed by a cloak steps out to face us. He's certainly a far cry from the last time I saw him. New stylist?

He pulls the hood down, revealing a sunken face, with burning eyes, and a long scraggly beard.

“Holy fuck, he has a face!” Anna shouts.

I can't help but laugh at that. “That's what he looked like last time I saw him.”

“Leaving so soon, Elsa?” he asks, an affable smile visible through his bushy beard.

“Then why the grim reaper thing with me? What the hell, Charon!” Anna gesticulates wildly, clearly finally at her wits' end.

“I take many forms,” he answers, his voice an elongated groan, filling up the massive cavern. “I'll admit I was suspicious of your motivation here, so I stayed silent and watched. I see you've decided to take one of my charges away. I do hope you'll be taking good care of her.”

“I will.” Better than last time I'd hope. Anna reaches into her wallet and hands him a coin. “Could you please take us to where Notos is? We also need to cross, but we need to see him first.”

“One coin for all that?” He continues to hold his hand in front of her.

“Fine.” She grabs three more coins and stuffs them into his palm. His fingers immediately wrap around them and he deposits them into the confines of his cloak. “Is that enough?”

“Of course, dear lady. All aboard, it is so rare I get to take anyone this way.”

We file onto the ferry and he sails us across, stopping just before we'd reach the other dock. “This will be him, then.” He gestures with the paddle, pointing towards a hand waving helplessly just over the surface.

“Could we talk to him?” Anna asks.

“If you must.” Charon shoves the oar under the surface, and draws up a wispy figure on the end of it. “There's not much left of him.”

“Brother,” a voice hisses, scarcely more than a whisper. “I ended you and now you escape.” There's no inflection, each word comes out almost as if it's a completely separate thought. “This is not over.”

“It is,” Anna answers. “Drop him back in. He's no use to anyone anymore. Let him wait his century.”

“Wait,” I call. “I was told I could talk to him, keep him there.” Anna winces. That’s not a great sign. “Were you controlling her this whole time?”

“Not this whole time.” I have to strain to hear the words. He’s fading.

“When she killed me?”

A strange laugh sounds from him. It’s weird to hear a laugh with no emotion behind it. “Why should I answer? I’d rather let you suffer.”

“I’ll give you a coin to cross if you’ll tell her the truth,” Anna announces.

I look back at her, unsure if I can trust this. “No. I will.” I draw a coin from my pocket. It’s how I managed to cross in the first place.

Anna stares at me and nods. Boreas may be looking at me, it’s difficult to tell when he lacks eyes. “Very well. For an escape from this pit, I shall tell you. Give me the coin first.”

Damn it. I hadn’t decided if I was actually going to give it to him. I hand it over. “Fine. Now talk.”

“I was controlling her. She had no memory, but she did have to want to stop you, at least at first. I egged on those doubts, but she had them all on her own. Perhaps she’d have killed you without my help.”

“I wouldn’t,” Anna growled. “Not in a million years.”

I guess that’s enough proof. Jasmine will give me the rest. “Fine. Let him in the boat.”

Charon holds out his hand to the specter. “The coin.”

I’m not quite sure how, but it leaves the wisp and appears in Charon’s hand. Charon then docks us, and Anna and I climb out. “I reckon I won't be seeing either of you for quite a while now.”  
Anna looks down at the wounds I gave her, wondering if he might be wrong. My conscience eases a bit when we both see that they're gone. “I hope you're right.”

As we start to walk away, I can faintly hear Notos insisting that he take him across. Charon’s reply resonates through the chamber. “With what coin? You paid to reach this dock.”

That’s cathartic.

We don't have much farther to go. It's less than an hour's walk until we arrive at a giant wooden door, standing in the middle of the path, with no wall around it. Anna doesn't waste a second and pushes the door open without much effort. Either she's way stronger than I thought she was or that thing is made of Styrofoam. Maybe both.

As soon as I step through, something tackles me. “Elsa!” I recognize the voice. Before I can respond, I feel her lips on mine, her arms holding me tight. Huh. I wasn’t expecting that. Fuck it, Anna can’t get mad at me today, I kiss back, holding her to me.

“I think your puppy missed you.” Anna laughs. It's the first laugh that hasn't sounded bitter since she found me in Elysium.

Jasmine pulls away, her eyes wide and her mouth hanging open in shock. I stroke Jasmine's hair and look over to Anna. “Can we keep her?”

To my surprise, she agrees. “All right, I suppose I have grown rather fond of the poor thing, but you're going to have to take care of her.”

Jasmine pulls back, not quite releasing me, and looks between the two of us. “What are you talking about? I don’t know what just happened. I’m straight. It was some sort of spell.”

Anna chuckles, her smile growing wider. “Come live with us. It'll be a lot more fun than what you're used to.”

She visibly gulps. I can already hear her coming up with more excuses to explain that kiss. She chews on her lips, taking time to consider our offer. “What would that entail?”

“What would you like it to entail?” Anna asks.

“Go easy on the poor thing.” I ruffle her hair again. “You know how new she is, we can't just go straight to breaking her in.”

“Now you're not being any fun.”

Jasmine's face is growing progressively redder. Just what is she thinking about? “It doesn't mean I'm gay or anything,” she mutters.

Coming out of the closet is so hard. “Of course it doesn't.” I smirk. This is really happening, isn't it?

“All right. But I'm not a puppy.”

“Good girl.” Anna scratches behind her ear. I swear she wags.

When Jasmine drops back to the ground, I finally notice a woman I don't recognize standing behind her, waiting patiently. “You're not Notos, are you?”

Anna's eyes widen and she gulps. Is it my turn next? Everyone else seems to have something to react that way to. Maybe I need a big revelation about myself too. “Fuck,” she intones. “I'm not. I'm the vessel he'd taken. I killed him.”

The woman clicks her tongue at Anna. “Now that's just rude. Well, I suppose I can't do anything about it, you are currently under my protection after all. I'll take you back, but do not seek me again, you have broken my trust, and if I have the chance, I will see that you are punished for it.”

Without giving Anna a chance to reply, she snaps her fingers, and we're suddenly somewhere else. It takes me a few moments to realize that that place is home. The three of us are seated on the couch in Anna's and my – in  _our_  living room. How the hell did she know where we live?

Anna stretches and yawns. “I'm going to bed. Going to Hell and back is exhausting. I hope you'll join me, Elsa. Jasmine, feel free to sleep wherever you feel comfortable.”

I stand and take Anna's hand before she can go to our room and pull her into a kiss. I was such an idiot. I should've known she would never hurt me. “I love you, Anna.”

“I love you too.”

We go to bed, and sleep the sleep of the dead – or the newly resurrected. I'm pleased to find, that Jasmine does, in fact, join us. Nothing happens, not tonight at least, but after everything I've been through, sharing a bed with the two of them is a welcome respite, one even better than paradise.


	14. A Merry Poly Epilogue

Author’s Note: This epilogue is smut-filled after the first scene, just so you know.

 

~o~

 

We prowl the rooftops, waiting for any sign of crime. This is stupid. I can't believe I let her talk me into this. We're fucking mobsters, not superheroes.

Suddenly, a woman screams, and we leap into action. Unless of course it's one of our men, then we just let them mug her, I guess. Do they just not see the issue here? I know that Anna thinks it's worth it to have Jasmine's heroics out of the way when we have shit that we need to get done, and to have her on call for emergencies, but just how does it make any sense to actually have us being superheroes? Hell, we could be meeting some of the same people across the table next week while we make deals to do exactly what we beat them up for today. It makes us look two-faced, untrustworthy, and more importantly, difficult to take seriously. Anna has a fucking cape for Christ's sake.

Anna leaps to the ground, fire trailing behind her as her cape flutters in the breeze. “Halt, villain!” She points her finger in said ‘villain’s’ direction, flames framing her hand as she stares the man down. “Let the woman go, and I'll do the same for you.”

“You'll let a woman go?” the man asks, his knife still trained on the blonde before him. That's exactly what I was going to ask. Why is everyone in this town such a smartass?

“No, I mean I'll let you go!” Her eyes glow with fires, that I’m sure she’ll claim are of justice.

Jasmine jumps down to join her, her hand striking the ground in a three-point landing. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way.” A staff of ice appears in her hands as she enters the fighting stance Uncle Pete taught her. She's been learning quickly.

“Oh come on, that's just too cliché.” Anna turns to face Jasmine, the flames falling away from her hand.

“No, I love it. You don't mess with a classic.” She puts a hand on her hip, the end of the staff clacking against the ground.

For fuck's sake. A titan of ice knocks the man to the ground as I jump onto it's shoulder and slide down its arm to join my partners. “How about we deal with the idiot in front of us and discuss how to look cool after?”

“You're one to talk.” Anna turns to the distressed damsel as she eyes us curiously. “You're free to go, ma'am.”

“Thank you.” She runs away. Can't say I blame her. I don't think I'd want to be around these two lunatics if I didn't love them so much.

“We're just doing our job.” Jasmine stands victoriously, looking down on our victim as she conjures ice restraints to hold him in place. “I'll call the cops, they usually take about eight minutes to get to this part of town.”

“In my experience it's more like half an hour to however long I tell them to take.” Anna smirks.

Jasmine's brow furrows as she frowns at that. “That's no good. Justice should be equal for all.”

She literally has a deal to not go after our crime family. Does she just not remember that this is a thing or is she just pretending that it's totally reasonable? Anna and I don’t bother pointing this out to her.

Her brow unfurrows as she glances between us. “Good work tonight, sidekicks. We are truly the greatest protectors this city has ever known!” This is clearly far too serious for her as she immediately giggles and a massive grin covers her face from ear to ear. “It's so much more fun with you two! I love this.” She pulls out her phone to call to have the perp taken in.

“I love it too,” Anna admits. “And I love both of you.”

Jasmine nods enthusiastically, not wanting to confess her undying love for the 911 operator.

I have to admit, it is a little nice seeing Anna be her cheesy self again. She probably needs the break from being a ruthless mob boss sometimes. “I love you too.”

Anna turns to me, her hands behind her back. Just what is she up to? I don't think we have the time to play before the cops come. Though I suppose an audience could be fun. She drops to her knee. Oh fuck. No way. In fucking super hero outfits?

Her hands pull back from beneath her cape, revealing a small black box. She pops it open as she looks up at me. “Elsa, I told you I'd be asking again. I managed to find the ring I'd bought for you. The hospital had it. Will you –” she pauses to wipe a tear from her eye, “will you please do me the honor of marrying me? I want you to be mine forever.”

The crack of a frozen tear hitting the ground informs me that I'm crying too. The cops better not see me like this. I look ridiculous. “Of course, I'll marry you. We already practically are.”

“So that's a yes?”

I nod. “Yes. Absolutely, yes.”

She rises from her feet and jumps at me. I catch her and pull her towards me. Our lips meet and for the moment, the rest of the world melts away. All that matters is her and me, and the future that's unfolding before us.

Jasmine squeals for joy and audibly jumps up and down. “Oh my god! I'm so excited. Congratulations!”

Anna pulls away and drops to the ground. “Get in here, you.”

She kisses Anna and then kisses me. All right, maybe being a superhero isn't that bad. She definitely seems to be handling her sexuality a lot better than she had been a month ago. She hasn't even claimed to be straight in at least a week. “Let's get out of here,” I suggest. “I think we have some celebrating to do.”

“What about the criminal?” Jasmine asks, looking back to the man who's presently frozen to the ground.

“I don't think he's going anywhere.”

“Come on, I've got a new toy I want to try on you.” Anna's grin seems to silence any remaining dissension from our new partner.

 

~o~

 

“So what's this toy?” Jasmine asks, as soon as we enter the apartment. She can barely contain her excitement. We'd managed to keep the surprise a secret from her since we ordered it when she first moved in. It sure took its sweet time getting here. Unless, of course, Anna meant something else, but that seemed unlikely.

“Take off your clothes first.” Anna waves her hand up and down over the poor puppy's attire. She knew the rules.

Jasmine turned bright red. We'd only officially started treating her like this about a week ago, but it was still pretty amazing that she wasn't used to it yet. It took quite a while for her to grow comfortable enough to even approach doing anything with us, but she had made it very clear how badly she wanted it from the start. Jasmine does as she was instructed, slowly stripping off her little belly dancer outfit of a superhero costume.

“The mask too.”

She swallowed audibly, but did so. “Anna,” she whimpered.

I could see the muscles in Anna's arm twitch. She wanted to crack a riding crop at her, but knew that Jasmine still wasn't ready for it. Maybe a newspaper would be more appropriate and a bit easier on her. But who has a newspaper these days?

Jasmine stood bare before us, shivering slightly from the perpetual cold. I'd worked with her on trying to find a way around it, but the only thing that had worked so far was removing her bracelet, and she was always hesitant to do that. I don't think she likes not being able to hear Skaldi's voice. That's fair; if I ever stopped talking in my own head, I'd probably go crazy too. “Now will you tell me what it is?” she whines.

Anna took a few steps to the hallway closet and pulled out a box. We hadn't bothered to wrap it, but I kinda wish we had. The nervous smile on her face is too cute for words and I want to prolong the opening of her gift for as long as I can. Especially if she doesn't like it. I place my hand on her head and pet her, scratching her scalp with my blunted nails. “I think you'll love it.”

She takes the box from Anna and pries the flaps open. Her eyes widen when she sees the contents. “I, um, I mean,” she sputters, her cheeks growing all the redder. She pulls out a butt plug, a dog tail attachment for it, and a leather collar with her name engraved in it. The expression on her face seems to change a dozen times as she considers them. “This is what you were talking about the other day, right?”

Anna nods. We had been talking to her a few times about what it would mean to be our puppy. She had at first just blushed and changed the subject, but as time went on, she would be the one to bring it up, ask us about it, and even wag a little when we called her a good girl. She's still as uncomfortable with it as she is with her gayness, but that hasn't stopped her from burying her head between my thighs the last couple nights. She claims it's for warmth, but I don't think her tongue would be quite so active if that was true.

“I love it.” I was expecting a shy, hesitant 'thank you.' I'm not complaining or anything, I'm just surprised.

“And we love you,” I reply, grabbing her ass playfully. “How about you try them on?”

She stares at the plug before looking back to me. “Are you sure I can take this?”

“I'll help you. We'll go slow, it'll take some work, and a lot of lube, but yeah, I'm sure you can take it. And then you can wag your tail at us like a good little puppy.”

Anna takes the collar out of the box and holds it out, almost like some sort of holy relic. “First thing's first though.” I hold back Jasmine's hair as Anna wraps the collar around her throat, securing it with about a finger-worth of slack. It won't be choking her, but she'll also not be too likely to forget it's there.

“Wow,” she breathes. “It's real.” Now she sounds like she's been fantasizing about this her whole life. Well, fuck, maybe she has. Her home life sounds pretty repressive, maybe she was off reading smutty stories online and imagining the day it would come true for her. Well, Anna and I were more than happy to make those dreams come true. “I love it. Can I go see it in the mirror?”

“Of course,” Anna leads her toward the bathroom.

“We can put that plug in you while we're in there. We already have a nice tub of lube in there anyway,” I add.

She gawks at her reflection. “Wow. I love it so much. Skaldi loves it too.” Wow, and here I was thinking Skaldi hated us. Her eyes fall to the reversed image of her name. “I just wish your names were on it somewhere. Let anyone who sees it know who I belong to.” Realization shows on her face, and again in her reflection, looking back at her. “Well I guess I can't really take it back at this point can I?”

I laugh. “'’Fraid not. I think you're stuck being our good little puppy dog.”

Anna chews her lip, trying to keep herself from beaming like a fool. “We couldn't ask for a better puppy. I promise, we'll get you a dog tag while you're in class tomorrow. You can have it as soon as you get home and you can get changed and have a clear reminder of exactly who owns you.”

Jasmine's gaze falls to the floor, but she doesn't even try to hide her smile. “Thank you.”

“Ready for the tail?” I ask. Okay, I might be a bit excited. She's gonna look really hot with it. She already has such a nice ass.

“As ready as I'll ever be. Will it hurt?”

I'm tempted to lie, but I know that won't help. “Yeah, it'll hurt a bit, but it'll feel really good too.” Anna has made sure that I know this from experience.

Anna leans against the counter, more than happy to have a show before she takes over. As I was planning on leaning Jasmine over the counter while I fingered her ass, this is hardly the best vantage point. I decide to do so anyway, and Anna doesn't bother to move. All right, if that's what she wants.

“I'm gonna start by getting you warmed up.” I squeeze an ample helping of lube onto my index finger and work it down, slathering my finger with the substance. Jasmine watches me in the mirror the whole time, a mixture of terror, fascination, and unadulterated excitement dancing behind her eyes. “Spread your legs for me, pup.”

She does. Widening her stance until she bumps into Anna, who finally takes the hint and relocates to the toilet to get a better view. In the corner of my eye I see her hand slide beneath the waistline of her costume. I'm glad she didn't get a one piece like Jasmine. My finger slides between Jasmine’s cheeks and elicits a gasp from her. She clenches at the merest hint of my cold touch. “You're going to have to relax for me, honey.”

She nods, her eyes locked on mine. “Yes, Mistress.”

Fuck, I'm wet. I have to take a deep breath to not just take her that second. I'm trying to go easy, and that's not going to happen like that. My finger slides in and she lets out a shuddering moan. I knew she'd like it.

“Oh f—” she catches herself. I almost got her to curse. “Oh, Elsa. It hurts, but I think I kinda love it.” Her voice comes out in a high squeak.

“I'm glad.” My free hand plays with her hair as I work my finger back and forth, slowly, lovingly fucking her ass. As I slide a second finger in, she lets loose with a scream that I'm certain would have the downstairs neighbors a bit concerned if they weren't used to it. I curl my fingers inside of her, stretching her tight ass in preparation for the new toy.

“Oh, Elsa, Mistress, oh God, please don't stop.”

Well I was going to keep going for a bit longer, but I'd much rather leave her desparate and begging for more. My fingers stop their movement and I take my hand from her hair, spreading as much lube onto the plug as it can hold.

When I take my fingers out, she makes a pitiful mewl.

“That sounds a lot more like a cat, Jasmine. Bark for me,” Anna commands from her seat.

“Arf!” Jasmine's barks are so adorable. She doesn't even notice as the toy pushes between her cheeks. She does notice as it slides the rest of the way in though. Her lids half close as she thrusts her ass back against it. “Elsa!”

“Good girl.” I admire the long length of black fur protruding from her rear. It matches her hair perfectly. She looks good enough to eat. “Wag for me.”

She shakes her ass wildly, clearly savoring the sensation of the metal object moving inside of her. “I need you. Elsa, Anna, please. It feels so good. I need more. Please.” Her eyes water as she begs us.

“On your hands and knees,” I command with a wicked grin. She whimpers, but does so, whining when she touches the cool tile. She barks again in response. She is such a good girl. I think we'll have to reward her. “Crawl to the bedroom. Anna and I need to get ready, but we'll take care of you in just a couple minutes.”

Anna looks disappointed when I turn back to her. She pulls her hand out of her pants and gives me a look that rips away any dominance I was feeling. “I was just about to come. I think you're going to pay for that, Elsa. On your knees.”

I drop to my knees without a complaint. The tile doesn't bother me.

“Since you got rid of my show, you're going to suck on my clit until I come. Then we can play with our toy.”

I nod, and crawl the couple feet towards her, then drag her pants down, until they're strewn on the floor. I then bury my face against her core, taking her nub between my lips and sucking harshly.

“Not so hard.”

I ease up, desperate to please her. She has gotten so into this since she became my boss. Not that I mind. I fucking love it. As I suck, my own hand slides down. I don't need to worry about my pants, they simply disappear around my crotch as I slide a few fingers in.

“Did I give you permission to do that?” Her foot hits my ass. “Behave. You'll get your turn later.”

I grumble, the vibration causing a moan from her, but take my fingers out of me, and instead place them inside of her. She lets out a wordless moan and shakes against my finger, thrusting against my face as she climaxes, her hand pulling madly at my hair. The climax seems to last for over a minute. I keep my tongue busy the entire time, as my fingers continue thrusting into her.

“Good girl. My perfect girl,” she breathes, her voice scarcely more than a whisper.

“I live to serve you,” I reply, looking up at my fiancee. I fucking love my life.

“And you do it so well. Now let's go take care of our puppy before she goes crazy and chews up all the furniture and pees on the floor.” She stands, tossing her shirt onto the ground to join her pants and heads to the bedroom. I rise to my feet and follow after her.

Anna grabs the leash from its spot in the bedroom closet and hands it to me. Jasmine was my puppy first, after all. It clicks as I attach it to Jasmine's collar and she wags eagerly from her seat on the floor where she’s been so patiently waiting. “I missed you,” she admits.

I stroke her hair and drag her face forward, until her nose presses against my clit. I whimper slightly, but it grows into a full-on moan as her tongue begins rapidly beating at me. “Good girl.” I tug on the leash, choking her just the slightest bit, and her tongue doubles its efforts.

This time, Anna seems to have no intention to stick to being in the audience. She emerges from the closet again, this time with a harness and a large pink dildo protruding from between her legs. I gulp. That thing tends to hurt. Then again, I am a bit tighter than most, and being bad about dilating hasn't exactly helped there.

Jasmine doesn't seem to notice as she continues her work. I pet her, occasionally tugging at her leash and hair, but eventually have to use one of my hands to support myself against the bed. She yelps as Anna thrusts into her, the cock sliding in with no resistance, and buries her face against me, her tongue never stopping its rapid beats.

As Anna takes her, the rocking adds to my pleasure until I can't hold it back anymore. I pull her leash taut and barely manage to keep standing as the orgasm rocks its way through my whole body. Jasmine sucks on my lips, drinking my come as I shudder and gasp, my eyes clenching shut. “Fuck,” I whimper. “Holy fuck.”

Jasmine looks up at me, looking very pleased with herself. Anna doesn't seem to approve of that, and a hard thrust shoves her face back against me. “Keep going, puppy, I want to see her come again. And don't you even think about coming until she does.”

Our good little puppygirl whimpers and nods, before thrusting her tongue between my lips. Oh gods. Holy. “Jasmine, that feels so good. Please don't stop. I mean, be a good girl and keep going.” Okay, fine, I'm not used to being in charge.

Anna smirks, and slaps Jasmine's ass, causing the tail to shake against her, and prompting a muffled moan from Jasmine. “Faster.” She does and I have to make an ice wall to lean against. I pull her hair roughly, urging her for more. I'm already so close.

“Oh Jasmine, good girl, keep going.”

Anna slaps her ass again and the sudden motion is enough to send me over the edge. The world goes white as I have the most mind-numbing orgasm I've ever experienced. “Now you can come,” she coos to our puppy.

I feel a crazed moan vibrate through me, sending me into another orgasm before I'd even finished the last. I blink away tears as my entire body rocks and I feel Jasmine shaking. Sounds like she's having a pretty amazing time too. “I love you both so fucking much.” My voice comes out hoarse, I must've been screaming. I hadn't even noticed.

Anna finally pulls out when Jasmine finishes her last shuddering little wag and the satisfied puppy just flops onto the floor. “You too,” she mumbles.

“I love you both too,” Anna adds as she picks up Jasmine and sets her in bed. She’s already asleep. “Sweet dreams, honey. That was amazing. I'll make sure your alarm is set. We don't want you to miss class in the morning.” She gestures towards the living room. I guess she doesn't want to risk disturbing Jasmine.

I follow her, and we take a seat at the window, looking out on the city from our 34th floor penthouse. We both take a few minutes to breathe and recover. I'm not sure if she came again, but we both seem really spent.

Once neither of us seem to be panting, I kiss her, pulling her close. When it breaks, she leans her head against my shoulder. “I hope things never change.”

She nuzzles against me. “They sure weren't staying the same for a bit there, but I think it all turned out pretty well in the end. It definitely wasn't what I was expecting, though.”

I chuckle. “What, you weren't planning on adding a third person to the relationship we've had our entire life? Becoming a mob boss? Being a god? I really can't understand what surprised you here. It all seems pretty normal.”

She slaps me, barely hard enough to even feel.

“I don't think I'm ready for another round yet.”

This time she only rolls her eyes. “You're a dork.”  
I shrug. “Sticks and stones.”

“Can do what? You're immortal.”

“It's still an expression,” I grumble.

She kisses my neck. “We have those peace talks with the Marcones tomorrow. For real this time. We should probably get some sleep.”

I nod, accepting that this time it’s not actually a secret attempt to murder me. “All right.”

“You're sleeping in the middle this time. I wake up before you, and I don't want to have to crawl over you.”

I kiss the top of her head. “Yes, Mistress.”  
“Good girl.”

We make our way back to bed, and curl up with our girlfriend, for a well earned night's sleep. I gotta say, this was worth dying for.

 

 

The End


End file.
